Editing Seed to Fruit Development (section)

== Stagnation, Merge, Retirement, and Downgrade ==
Seed to Fruit is not a one-way growth story. Metrology also requires:

* '''Stagnation under check''' — an instrument may remain at a grade for a long time while still being actively reviewed on schedule
* '''Merge''' — overlapping instruments may be combined when evidence shows duplication without added resolution
* '''Retirement''' — instruments that no longer earn their keep are withdrawn from active use, with history retained
* '''Downgrade''' — when new evidence shows prior maturity claims were too high, grade and standing are reduced and logged

Passing a calibration check with '''no edit''' is a legitimate outcome. The cycle exists to '''confirm''' alignment with reality on a real schedule, not to presume every instrument is broken.