Binder · Visual Aid · 12 Core Components

The 12 systems Binder must account for

This is a tracking map for the full Binder capability set. Some items are true user-facing components, some are workflows, and one is a cross-cutting policy. The list intentionally stays at twelve so later design passes can reconcile every capability without losing anything.

Important update: the old “Forever Home / Evidence Storage” component has been replaced by the broader Document Retention, Reduction, Consolidation & Archive policy. It still occupies slot #7 so the original twelve-part map remains stable.

Core component map

These are the twelve buckets to check against when Binder moves into later component and workflow design.

01

Document Intake

How source material enters Binder before it is trusted, classified, or filed.

  • Upload, scan, import, email, links
  • Inbox / staging queue
  • Retry and failed-ingestion handling
Workflow
02

Document Classification

Determine what the document is and confirm the system’s suggested interpretation.

  • Document type and category
  • OCR / AI suggestions
  • Human confirm or correct
Workflow
03

Document Library

The canonical collection of accepted Binder records and their available source files.

  • All Documents
  • Recent / archive state
  • Canonical document record
Workspace
04

Faceted Search & Saved Views

Find documents through combinations of metadata and turn repeated searches into smart views.

  • People, organizations, assets, years
  • Types, Labs, status, tags
  • Reusable saved views
Workspace
05

Document Metadata

The structured description of what a document is, when it matters, and what information it carries.

  • Title, dates, issuer, notes
  • Amounts, periods, tax year
  • Custom fields by document type
Record
06

Document Relationships

Connect evidence to the rest of Household Ledger without duplicating the file.

  • People and organizations
  • Assets, accounts, matters
  • Owning Lab and source records
Record graph
07

Retention, Reduction, Consolidation & Archive

The policy that determines what stays hot, what becomes compact structured information, and where originals move over time.

  • Keep full active when justified
  • Reduce routine documents
  • Consolidate repetitive series
  • Batch cold-storage originals
Cross-cutting policy
08

Versioning & Lifecycle

Preserve the history of documents as they are corrected, replaced, superseded, or archived.

  • Version history
  • Supersedes / superseded by
  • Archive without destructive overwrite
Lifecycle
09

Records Health & Review

Surface documents that were already filed but now require attention.

  • Expiration / review dates
  • Missing replacements
  • Broken links or verification needs
Work queue
10

Security & Access Control

Control who can know a document exists and who can open its preview or original.

  • Household / private / restricted
  • Metadata vs preview vs original
  • Masking and access audit
Control
11

Document Requests & Actions

Track evidence that is missing or requires follow-up, signature, professional review, or another action.

  • Missing-document requests
  • Signature / notarization
  • Daily Command follow-up
Work queue
12

Controlled Sharing & Export

Create intentional, purpose-specific document packets without giving broad Binder access.

  • Tax preparer / attorney packets
  • Government-response packets
  • Fiduciary / continuity packets
Workflow

Supporting infrastructure underneath all twelve

These are not separate top-level components, but they support several or all of the twelve systems.

OCR & AI assistanceText extraction, classification suggestions, metadata suggestions, confidence, and human review.
Duplicate detectionSame document vs new version vs separate document, with no silent auto-merge.
Audit historyTrack access, changes, deletion, restricted actions, and critical workflow events.
Backup & recoveryVerify that archived originals and critical Binder data can actually be recovered.
Registry / Records integrationPeople, organizations, assets, accounts, and matters provide relationship context.
Lab + Daily Command integrationLabs use Binder evidence; Daily Command surfaces actions that require attention.

How to use this in later phases

This document is a completeness checklist, not a mandate that every bucket receives its own page.

When designing pages

  1. Decide which of the twelve need a destination.
  2. Decide which belong inside the document Inspector.
  3. Decide which are background workflows or policy.
  4. Do not create navigation merely because a capability exists.

When designing components

  1. Map buttons and actions back to one of the twelve buckets.
  2. Check for missing lifecycle or access states.
  3. Ensure retention/reduction is threaded throughout instead of bolted on later.
  4. Use this list again before Binder V3 is considered complete.
Design intent: Binder should do everything required to ingest, understand, find, relate, preserve, review, secure, request, and share household evidence—without turning each capability into a separate piece of navigation.