{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/make-the-subject-line-carry-state-and-ask",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0606",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Make the subject line carry state and ask",
  "summary": "The subject line is the first routing layer.",
  "kind": "template",
  "body": "Use the subject to encode the object plus current state or required action. Keep details in the body. For recurring threads, update the subject when the state materially changes instead of preserving a misleading old label forever.",
  "limits": [
    "Avoid putting sensitive data in subject lines when mail systems, notifications or policy make that unsafe."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-actionable-async-writing"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-97DF2212DB5C5E61",
    "RS-96557E8AD37744B8"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "ONS content guidance recommends frontloading important information because readers often scan for task-relevant material rather than reading linearly.",
      "source_id": "RS-97DF2212DB5C5E61",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "The guidance is for web content and is applied here by analogy to async work communication.",
      "locator": "Frontload your content and descriptive headings"
    },
    {
      "claim": "ONS guidance recommends writing around user needs, removing content that does not serve those needs, and using concise task-focused headings.",
      "source_id": "RS-96557E8AD37744B8",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "Regulated or audit-heavy work may require context that feels redundant to the immediate reader.",
      "locator": "Put users' needs first; titles and headings; be concise"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "Inbox subjects such as 'Question', 'Update' or a ticket number provide no triage value."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Avoid putting sensitive data in subject lines when mail systems, notifications or policy make that unsafe."
  ],
  "example": "'49-208 — status correction needed before today's import' is more useful than 'Urgent question.'",
  "check": "Someone scanning only subject lines can route the message correctly.",
  "template": "[Object] — [state / action needed] [by date if critical]",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-97DF2212DB5C5E61",
      "title": "Writing and editing: Structuring content",
      "url": "https://service-manual.ons.gov.uk/content/writing-for-users/structuring-content"
    },
    {
      "id": "RS-96557E8AD37744B8",
      "title": "Writing and editing: Plain language",
      "url": "https://service-manual.ons.gov.uk/content/writing-for-users/plain-language"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "from": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0606",
      "to": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0605",
      "type": "useful_with",
      "url": "/knowledge/state-what-the-reader-must-do-before-giving-the-history"
    }
  ],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-ECF674DEF65C9DAB",
      "title": "Write asynchronous messages that can be acted on without a meeting",
      "url": "/collections/write-asynchronous-messages-that-can-be-acted-on-without-a-meeting"
    }
  ]
}