SHAPE self-check

Five questions for your next analysis. In each row, tick the highest level your workflow reaches today; the next box is what to aim for. SHAPE is not a sequence: rate every row, and rate again in a few months to see what changed.

Your answers stay in this page. Choose a level separately for each principle; there is no total score.

S · Structure stages

Can you explain what each part does?

0 · Not yetSteps live in someone’s head.1 · Written downEach stage is named in a README, with its purpose, inputs and outputs.2 · AutomatedEach stage is its own script or target with declared inputs and outputs.3 · CheckedA check fails when a stage reads or writes beyond what it declares.

H · Harmonize handovers

Can the next tool or person use this correctly?

0 · Not yetFiles are handed on without saying what they contain.1 · Written downA data dictionary describes every file, column, unit and format.2 · AutomatedThe code writes each output with the agreed names and format.3 · CheckedThe recipient validates each handover before using it.

A · Automate actions

Can this be rerun without rebuilding manual steps?

0 · Not yetA manual fix is never written down.1 · Written downThe procedure, its settings and software versions are written down.2 · AutomatedOne command reruns everything, with the settings in a file.3 · CheckedA rerun on the same inputs is checked to give the same results.

P · Propagate provenance

Can you trace every step that led to this result?

0 · Not yetA figure can no longer be traced back to its data.1 · Written downResults are under version control, with a note on how they were made.2 · AutomatedEvery run records its inputs, settings, software and who ran it.3 · CheckedThe record travels with the result, and a gap in it is caught.

E · Evaluate explicitly

How would you notice that something went wrong?

0 · Not yetNobody notices when something goes wrong.1 · Written downAcceptance criteria are written down before the work begins.2 · AutomatedChecks of inputs, outputs and assumptions run with every run.3 · CheckedA failed check stops the work and is reviewed and recorded.

SHAPE: Deliberate Workflows, version 0.9.11. Lukas C. Bossert, RWTH Aachen University IT Center. CC BY 4.0; logo excluded. Questions and criteria reproduced from the published checklist.

SHAPE self-check

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