When an instruction mixes purpose, old data, open items and today's decisions, it becomes difficult to know what still applies. We can organize context into five layers:
- Permanent instruction: a lasting role and rules. For example, “separate facts from inferences and do not send messages without approval.”
- Memory: stable background and agreements that help interpret a task. They need a source and a way to be corrected.
- Task: the concrete action now. For example, “summarize the incidents received this week.”
- Campaign: a time-bound objective with several stages. For example, “reduce response times over eight weeks and review progress each Friday.”
- State: the current picture: what is open, what changed and what remains pending.
A customer-service example
The permanent rule is to cite a source for every claim. Memory holds the approved definition of a “resolved case.” The campaign seeks to improve response times over eight weeks. State tells us that four cases are open today. The current task is to prepare a meeting summary.
These layers let us update what changes without losing useful principles. They also expose conflicts: if an older record says one thing and a newer one another, the system should show both pieces of evidence, not invent a reconciliation.