kimtth Goal: widen the option space, then converge on a defensible direction.
Use for:
- vague or open-ended problems with no obvious approach
- choosing between competing designs or trade-offs
- breaking a large goal into independent sub-problems
Workflow:
- Restate the problem and the real constraint behind it.
- Generate several distinct approaches before judging any.
- Decompose into sub-problems that can be solved independently.
- For each option, name the key risk and what would falsify it.
- Score against constraints, not preference.
- Pick one, record why, and list what you deliberately rejected.
Techniques:
- invert the problem: what would guarantee failure
- find the smallest version that still has the hard part
- separate forced decisions from reversible ones
Rules:
- diverge before converging; do not anchor on the first idea
- keep options concrete enough to compare
- surface assumptions explicitly
- stop expanding once a clear winner survives the constraints