2025-09-18 · Clara Nguyen
Documentation that helps reviewers follow timing claims
Reviewers do not dislike detail—they dislike mystery. Start annexes with a one-page map that links each figure to a requirement and a measurement artifact hash.
Use consistent verbs: “observe,” “bound,” “mitigate.” Avoid implied causality where data only supports correlation. If a mitigation spans subsystems, name the owning function and the expected artifact update cadence.
Tables beat paragraphs for budgets, but every table needs a caption that states scope limits. If a row excludes a mode, say so explicitly rather than relying on footnotes readers skip.
Before submission freezes, run a dry review with someone outside firmware. If they can narrate the timing story aloud without hand-waving, you are in better shape than most programs at the same milestone.