> Markdown twin of https://adna.network/patterns/question-test/
> Index: https://adna.network/llms.txt · Full corpus: https://adna.network/llms-full.txt
> State is a build-time snapshot generated 2026-08-30 (UTC); nothing here is live.

# The Question Test — aDNA Patterns

## Problem

Every new file in an aDNA project needs to land in one of three folders — `what/`, `how/`, or `who/`. Most files are obvious; edge cases cause hesitation. Is a team standup protocol a WHO thing (it involves people) or a HOW thing (it's a process)? Is a decision record a WHAT thing (it's knowledge) or a HOW thing (it documents a process)?

Hesitation leads to inconsistency. Inconsistency leads to files scattered across legs, breaking the navigability that makes the triad valuable.

## Solution

Apply the **question test** (§3.1): ask "Is this about WHAT we know, HOW we work, or WHO is involved?" The answer determines the triad leg.

| Question | Triad Leg | Contains |
|----------|-----------|----------|
| WHAT does this project know? | `what/` | Knowledge, context, decisions, domain entities |
| HOW does this project work? | `how/` | Plans, processes, templates, sessions, skills |
| WHO is involved? | `who/` | People, teams, roles, coordination, governance |

**The decisive rule**: if the file's primary purpose is to capture knowledge, it's WHAT. If it's to drive action, it's HOW. If it's to describe people or relationships, it's WHO.

**Edge case resolution**: When a file seems to span two legs, it's trying to do two things. Split it. A meeting protocol (HOW — it's a process) is separate from the team roster it references (WHO — it's about people). A decision record (WHAT — it captures knowledge) is separate from the mission that prompted it (HOW — it drives action).

The test always produces exactly one answer. If it produces two, the content needs splitting, not a fourth category.

## When to Use

- Every time you create a new file in an aDNA vault
- When reviewing vault structure for misplaced content
- When onboarding someone unfamiliar with the triad
- When designing ontology extensions (the extension goes under the leg its question maps to)

## Example: This Vault

This file — `pattern_question_test.md` — lives in `what/patterns/` because it answers "WHAT does this project know?" It knows about the question test pattern.

The mission file that scheduled its creation lives in `how/campaigns/campaign_rosetta/missions/` because it answers "HOW does this project work?" It works by executing missions.

The governance policies in `who/governance/` answer "WHO is involved?" — they define roles and authority.

Every file in this vault was placed by applying the question test. Navigate to any directory and ask "which question does this answer?" — the answer will match the triad leg it's in.

## Anti-Pattern

**The miscellaneous drawer**: Creating a fourth top-level directory (`resources/`, `shared/`, `misc/`) because some files "don't fit." They always fit — the question test was applied incorrectly or the file is trying to do two things.

**Sorting by format**: Putting all PDFs in one place, all YAML in another. Format is orthogonal to the triad. A YAML lattice definition (`what/`) and a YAML session config (`how/`) answer different questions despite sharing a format.

**WHO/HOW confusion**: Placing process documentation under `who/` because people execute processes. The test is about the file's primary purpose, not its participants. A sprint protocol is HOW (process); the team running it is WHO (people).

## Related

- [The Triad](/learn/concepts/triad) — the architectural principle the question test implements
- [Ontology](/learn/concepts/ontology) — the entity types within each triad leg
- [Base/Extension](/patterns/base-extension) — how new entity types inherit their triad placement
- [Apply the Question Test](/learn/tutorials/question-test) — hands-on: use the test to classify 10 real project files