Apply ETIS in practice.
Repository-centered engineering guidance, reusable templates, completed examples, governance assets, and project workspaces for building trustworthy intelligent systems.
The ETIS Engineering Platform Starter Kit is the practical engineering implementation of the Engineering Trustworthy Intelligent Systems (ETIS) framework.
The main ETIS framework explains the discipline.
This repository helps teams apply it.
It provides a structured, repository-centered way to move from early system intent through vision, requirements, planning, architecture, design, implementation, testing, release, operations, monitoring, stewardship, and governance.
The Starter Kit is designed for teams that need more than a demo, prototype, or prompt experiment. It helps engineers create durable evidence, make accountable decisions, use AI responsibly, and demonstrate that an intelligent system is ready to be built, released, operated, and improved.
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ETIS Framework Website | Public ETIS framework site, books, education, downloads, and framework resources. |
| ETIS Engineering Platform | Published Starter Kit site with engineering stages, templates, examples, and project workspace guidance. |
| ETIS Framework Repository | Source repository for the main ETIS framework, publication materials, and ecosystem context. |
| ETIS Starter Kit Repository | Source repository for this engineering platform and Starter Kit. |
ETIS is an engineering framework for building trustworthy intelligent systems.
This repository is the implementation layer.
ETIS Framework
↓
ETIS Engineering Platform Starter Kit
↓
Project Workspace
↓
Trustworthy Intelligent System
The relationship is intentional:
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| ETIS Framework | Defines the engineering discipline, principles, lifecycle, governance concepts, and trust model. |
| Starter Kit | Provides the practical repository structure, engineering stages, templates, examples, and workflows. |
| Project Workspace | Gives teams a place to create project-specific evidence and decisions. |
| Trustworthy System | The system that is reviewed, released, operated, monitored, and stewarded using ETIS evidence. |
The Starter Kit operationalizes ETIS through:
- Engineering Stages ES-100 through ES-114
- Reusable lifecycle templates
- Completed LMU/COICP reference examples
- Project Workspace structure
- Governance and shared engineering controls
- Evidence-centered engineering practices
- MkDocs Material publication site
- GitHub Actions build, hygiene, and deployment workflows
etis-starter-kit/
├── docs/
│ ├── index.md site landing page
│ ├── platform/ platform overview and onboarding
│ ├── engineering/ Engineering Stage guidance, ES-100 through ES-114
│ ├── template-library/ reusable engineering templates
│ ├── examples/ completed LMU/COICP reference implementation
│ ├── project-workspace/ project-specific evidence workspace
│ ├── assets/ branding and supporting assets
│ ├── stylesheets/ custom visual design and UI components
│ └── platform-design/ internal platform architecture and design system
│
├── .github/
│ ├── workflows/ CI, hygiene, link checks, and Pages deployment
│ ├── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ GitHub issue templates
│ ├── CODEOWNERS repository ownership
│ └── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md pull request review structure
│
├── mkdocs.yml MkDocs Material site configuration
├── requirements.txt Python dependencies for local builds
├── README.md repository overview
├── LICENSE repository license
├── CITATION.cff citation metadata
├── CHANGELOG.md change history
├── CONTRIBUTING.md contribution guidance
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md collaboration expectations
└── SECURITY.md security and vulnerability reporting
The Starter Kit uses Engineering Stages to organize the full lifecycle.
| Stage Range | Focus |
|---|---|
| ES-100 | Orientation and first-day guidance |
| ES-101–ES-105 | Vision, requirements, planning, architecture, and design |
| ES-106–ES-110 | Implementation readiness, AI-assisted implementation, integration, testing, and release |
| ES-111–ES-114 | Operational readiness, deployment, monitoring, post-release learning, and stewardship |
| Governance | Cross-lifecycle governance, AI governance, evidence governance, release governance, and risk/exception governance |
Each stage includes:
- engineering context
- activities
- evidence expectations
- outputs
- readiness gates
- stage manifests
The repository is organized around the core ETIS engineering principles:
- AI proposes; engineers verify.
- Governance is architecture.
- Context is control.
- Everything important leaves evidence.
- The model is not the system.
- A demo is not operational proof.
These principles are not slogans. They drive the structure of the stage guidance, templates, examples, readiness gates, and governance artifacts.
The platform overview explains how the Starter Kit works, how to navigate the repository, and how the engineering lifecycle fits together.
Start here if you are new to the repository:
docs/platform/README.md
Published site:
https://platform.etisframework.org/platform/
The Engineering Platform contains the guided ES-100 through ES-114 lifecycle.
docs/engineering/
Use this area when you want to understand what each stage asks, produces, reviews, and hands forward.
The Template Library contains reusable artifacts for applying ETIS to a real project.
docs/template-library/
Templates cover vision, requirements, planning, architecture, design, implementation, integration, testing, release, operations, deployment, monitoring, stewardship, governance, and cross-cutting repository assets.
The examples area contains a completed reference implementation for Lakeside Metropolitan University (LMU) and its Campus Operations and Incident Coordination Platform (COICP).
docs/examples/lmu-coicp/
This area shows what populated ETIS evidence looks like across the lifecycle.
The Project Workspace is the place where a real project creates its own evidence.
docs/project-workspace/
It links back to the Template Library for reusable artifact structure and the LMU/COICP examples for completed reference patterns.
This area is intentionally designed as a working repository spine rather than a second template library.
The Platform Design area preserves internal design system, architecture, and implementation guidance for the Starter Kit itself.
docs/platform-design/
It is primarily useful for maintainers improving the Starter Kit.
git clone https://github.com/etis-framework/etis-starter-kit.git
cd etis-starter-kitpython3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txtmkdocs serveLocal site:
http://127.0.0.1:8000/etis-starter-kit/
mkdocs build --strictA strict build should pass before changes are merged.
This repository is designed to publish through GitHub Pages using GitHub Actions.
Primary workflows:
| Workflow | Purpose |
|---|---|
ci.yml |
Runs repository hygiene checks and strict MkDocs build. |
pages.yml |
Builds and deploys the published site to GitHub Pages. |
| Dependabot | Keeps Python dependencies current. |
The published platform site is intended to be available at:
https://platform.etisframework.org
For readers:
- Start with the published platform site.
- Read the Platform Overview.
- Move through ES-100 and the Engineering Platform.
- Use templates when creating project artifacts.
- Study the LMU/COICP examples when you need a completed reference.
- Use the Project Workspace as the structure for actual project evidence.
For maintainers:
- Make changes in a branch.
- Run
mkdocs build --strict. - Check navigation and visual layout locally.
- Submit a pull request.
- Confirm CI and Pages deployment pass.
The Starter Kit is intended for:
- software engineers building intelligent systems
- architects designing trust controls
- product and delivery leaders responsible for accountable releases
- instructors teaching software engineering in the AI era
- students learning disciplined engineering practice
- organizations adopting AI governance and evidence-centered engineering
This repository is part of the broader ETIS ecosystem.
It is suitable for public documentation, teaching and professional orientation, reference implementation review, project workspace bootstrapping, and ongoing platform evolution.
It should continue to evolve as ETIS expands across education, professional practice, governance, and reference implementations.
See LICENSE.
See CITATION.cff.
This repository is maintained under the etis-framework GitHub organization.
Primary repository:
https://github.com/etis-framework/etis-starter-kit
Related framework repository:
https://github.com/etis-framework/etis