Predictability

Kind: quality-attribute

Layer: Computation Core

Record: architecture:predictability

Severity: recommended

Scope: API, module, runtime

Canonical: Ontology

The degree to which a caller can foresee what an operation does from its interface and contract.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Determinism and before Referential Transparency.

Requires

• Determinism
• Explicit Contracts

Reinforces

• Principle of Least Surprise

Enables

• Safe Refactoring

Conflicts with

• Hidden Behavior

In tension with

• Dynamic Runtime Behavior
• Runtime Discovery
• Dynamic Binding
• Runtime Extensibility
• Runtime Discovery / Predictability
• Dynamic Binding / Predictability
• Runtime Extensibility / Predictability

Tensions

• Predictability / Dynamic Runtime Behavior

Violated by

• Hidden Side Effect
• Temporal Coupling

Refactored by

• Declare Capability
• Define Contract

Severity

• recommended

Category

• Correctness / Determinism / Verification

Reinforced by

• Design by Contract
• API Contract
• Postconditions
• Immutability
• Repeatability
• Pattern Consistency
• Declarative Configuration
• Convention over Configuration
• State Isolation
• Controlled Side Effects

Linked from

• One correct answer
• Scale follows determinism
• Runtime Discovery / Dynamic Binding
• Contracts / Interfaces / Compatibility
• Correctness / Determinism / Verification
• Architecture Review / Evolution / Governance Artifacts
• Metadata / Self-Description / Declarative Systems
• Schema / Canonical Data / Semantics
• Transactions / State / Concurrency
• Contracts / Interfaces / Compatibility
• Core Vocabulary
• Correctness / Determinism / Verification
• Metadata / Self-Description / Declarative Systems
• Severity levels
• The resolutions