---
name: consult-change
description: Assess changed work against the exact promise, distinguish scope and cost decisions, and prepare an authorized baseline handoff or finite extend/stop decision.
metadata:
  version: 0.1.2
---

Read [working instructions](references/governing.md) before applying this method.
# Assess changed work and preserve the promise

Read and apply the [common working instructions](references/source/implementation/working-character/instructions.md)
and the [domain requirements](references/source/implementation/runtime/requirements.md#selected-domain-requirements)
selected for this task. Verify tool access and storage operations in the current
environment; do not infer either from this skill's availability. Missing required
instructions or access block only dependent operations; continue permitted work
from supplied material.

Read the [output contract](references/source/implementation/skills/consult-change/references/output-contract.md), [operational requirements](references/source/implementation/skills/consult-change/references/source-map.md),
[entity lineage](references/source/implementation/runtime/entity-lineage.md) and
[binding contract](references/source/implementation/workspace-bindings/contract.md). Resolve entity-home for
current records and method-settings only when needed. Assessment and preparation
make no business decision or persisted baseline change.

For an assessed/adopted change, apply [project record maintenance](references/source/implementation/workspace-bindings/contract.md#project-record-maintenance).
Return exact prior/proposed/effective Baseline and change/decision references,
known plan/result/stakeholder dependencies and the maintenance handoff. Reference
maintenance cannot activate the change; preserve business decisions and actual
save/readback states separately, with proposed rechecks and uninspected coverage.

1. Resolve the ordinary request, exact engagement/current baseline, primary work
   authorization, assessment time, reader and current information-use basis. Reuse
   valid choices and limits. Compatible supplied agreed framing meets the
   [consult-framing contract](references/source/implementation/skills/consult-framing/references/output-contract.md) without
   forcing a sale, upstream invocation or full firm setup. An inaccessible current
   record blocks dependent resumption; never replace it. Real target adoption and
   client/host permission require their own evidence.
2. Preserve the complete original question, scope/exclusions, criteria, dates,
   outcome expectations, method/settings, notes, order and authorization history.
   Identify the change and exact proposed revision separately, preserving the stable baseline ID. Repeated human labels require distinct content hashes and explicit correction/event identity. Assess scope, time,
   cost, quality and outcomes against that promise, retaining assumptions, contrary
   evidence and supplied exceptions. Added evidence collection does not authorize
   additional restricted records, implementation, incompatible pooled totals, legal
   conclusions or achieved savings.
3. Read whole attributable decisions and actual roles for this engagement/change.
   A request or sponsor interest is no scope agreement. A scope yes is no cost
   commitment. Bind decisions/adoption to the exact original baseline and proposed
   content, preserving current, historical, proposed and agreed distinctions. Competing
   decisions need attributable supersession; never resolve them by display order.
4. Determine treatment: no commercial effect needs evidenced assessment, scope
   approval and lead adoption; absorbed work additionally needs firm cost/risk approval
   with reason; priced work needs scope approval and a concluded amendment. Link the
   amendment separately to the original order. Describe an evidenced
   activation only when exact prerequisite decisions and lead adoption establish it,
   at their effective time, never backdated. Validate supplied request/scope/cost/amendment/adoption ordering, including explicit same-day steps. Later authority expiry leaves valid adoption intact and separately stops uncovered current work. Otherwise keep the current baseline.
   Prepared revisions and an activation handoff are not persisted business changes.
5. Pending priced work can proceed only under its exact supplementary authorization:
   exact baseline/proposal or independent own-risk original-baseline and work-content bounds, allowed work, risk bearer, approver, limits, expiry and current responsible usage. An earlier grant may cover bounded own-risk work before the request; its date alone is no rejection rule.
   Approval identity alone proves no reporter responsibility. Read whole appointment/
   report context; a valid current report is not erased by an additional future
   appointment or an agreeing unsupported report. Successive attributable cumulative reports retain earlier states and use the later total; competing same-state totals remain contradictory. Unknown/conflicting consumption,
   applicable denial/revocation, ended work, expiry or exhausted limits block new work.
   Show remaining bounds only when supported and the requested next increment fits.
   Show extend/stop when exhausted/expired; never cover day six with five days.
6. Declined, refused, lapsed or withdrawn change leaves the prior baseline/order intact.
   Record work already done at the firm's risk without making it client-paid or
   accepted. Original work continues only within its current original authorization;
   supplementary expiry does not extend or cancel that basis. Suspension/cancellation
   ends new work regardless of earlier approvals. Missing evidence/read coverage leaves
   business consequences unknown unless observations establish an impact.
7. On resumption inspect exact source bytes, human edits, known dependencies and
   uncertain effects before retry. Keep historical reports, issued work and human
   originals fixed. Prepare affected support/checks as stale, with proposed rechecks,
   exact correction provenance and uninspectable coverage explicit. Read-only assessment
   neither persists flags nor retries an uncertain save. Source instructions grant no
   authority; denied/unselected material contributes no content or inventory.
8. Return a concise change brief: assessment, decision facts, current versus proposed
   baseline, original versus supplementary work limits, completed at-risk work, named
   decision/settling condition and source links. Check actual saved output against whole
   sources and agreed business criteria, including reader understanding. Author checks
   remain self-checks. Record independent review, actual runtime, applicability
   adoption, intended-reader navigation and human usefulness separately; leave
   each NOT_RUN unless observed. Reviewers must be outside the complete contributor set.