Operating memory
Direct answer
Operating memory is the retained state of work — facts, evidence, decisions, approvals, assumptions, unresolved risks, artifacts and workflow state — scoped to the organisation, workspace, workflow and role where it belongs.
Why it is different from retrieval
Retrieval finds relevant content. Operating memory also governs whether the content is trusted, current, superseded, approved, reusable and allowed to influence the next run.
What it retains
- Facts and evidence
- Decisions and rationale
- Approval state and authority
- Assumptions and unresolved risk
- Artifacts and next actions
- Outcome and correction history
What it changes
The next run begins against a prior position. What happened, why it happened and what should change remain connected.