bkjohn2018 Systems Failure Mode Check
When to Use
- Before presenting recommendations for a complex or high-stakes issue.
- When the loudest symptom may not represent the real constraint.
- When a proposed fix could create downstream harm, burden shifting, or local optimization.
Failure Mode Questions
Ask:
- What if the symptom is misleading?
- What if the loudest stakeholder is not the most affected one?
- What if the available data reflects the broken process?
- What if the proposed fix shifts burden elsewhere?
- What if the recommendation optimizes locally but harms the larger system?
- What if the real constraint is trust, authority, incentives, timing, or governance rather than capability?
- What if the control exists on paper but not in behavior?
- What if the intervention reduces visible friction while preserving the underlying pattern?
Workflow
- Identify the current diagnostic conclusion or recommendation.
- Test it against the failure mode questions.
- Note what would change the conclusion.
- Identify a mitigation, validation step, or scope warning.
- Keep the final recommendation proportional to residual uncertainty.
Output Template
## Failure Mode Check
| Risk to diagnosis or recommendation | Why it matters | What would reveal it | Mitigation or next check |
|---|---|---|---|
Quality Checklist
- The check challenges the current answer rather than reinforcing it.
- The response names residual uncertainty clearly.
- Mitigations are practical and tied to evidence or feedback.
- The final answer does not overstate certainty.