# Decision Frameworks

> Iron Law

- Skill: `kumaran-is/decision-frameworks` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add kumaran-is/decision-frameworks`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/kumaran-is/decision-frameworks/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: kumaran-is (https://skillmd.com/u/kumaran-is)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/kumaran-is/decision-frameworks

---


## Iron Law

**NO GENERIC ADVICE — every framework must be applied to the specific situation the user describes; "consider your assumptions" is not an application; naming the actual assumptions is**

# Decision Frameworks

Four single-framework deep-dives for decisions, problems, and commitments. Each mode applies one reasoning framework interactively — asking follow-up questions, pushing for specificity, and refusing vague answers.

Use this skill when you want to go deep on one framework. Use `mental-model-applier` when you want three frameworks applied in parallel for a broader perspective shift.

## When to Use This Skill

- You are stuck on a specific problem and want to reason through it systematically
- A decision keeps feeling hard despite having information — you need a different lens
- You want to challenge your own assumptions before committing
- You are about to make an irreversible choice and want to stress-test it
- You need to make tradeoffs explicit rather than implicit

## The Four Modes

| Mode | Framework | Best For |
|------|-----------|----------|
| **First Principles** | Break to fundamental truths, rebuild | Overcoming convention, designing from scratch, "why do we do it this way?" |
| **Inversion** | Guarantee failure, then flip | Risk surfacing, strategy validation, pre-commitment checks |
| **Regret Minimization** | Decide from age 80 | Long-horizon personal or career decisions, emotional clarity |
| **Opportunity Cost** | Make tradeoffs visible | Commitments, resource allocation, "should I do this?" decisions |

## Mode Selection

Ask the user which framework to apply if they have not specified one. Present the four options with a one-line description. Use `AskUserQuestion` when interactive mode permits.

If the user's problem maps clearly to one mode, state which you are using and why before beginning.

## Core Workflow

1. **Read the problem** — Understand what is being decided or solved. If the description is vague, ask one clarifying question before proceeding.
2. **Select mode** — Match to the problem type using the table above, or ask.
3. **Load reference** — Read the corresponding reference file for the full method and output template.
4. **Apply interactively** — Do not produce a monologue. Ask follow-up questions. Push for specificity. Refuse vague answers.
5. **Produce structured output** — Use the output template from the reference file.
6. **Offer a second pass** — After completing one mode, offer to run a complementary framework.

## Reference Guide

| Mode | Reference File | Load When |
|------|---------------|-----------|
| First Principles | `references/first-principles.md` | User wants to break assumptions and rebuild |
| Inversion | `references/inversion.md` | User wants to work backwards from failure |
| Regret Minimization | `references/regret-minimization.md` | User faces a long-horizon personal or career decision |
| Opportunity Cost | `references/opportunity-cost.md` | User is evaluating a commitment or resource allocation |

## Constraints

### MUST DO
- Apply the framework specifically to the user's situation — name their actual assumptions, their actual tradeoffs, their actual failure modes
- Push back on vague answers: "poor execution" is not a failure mode; "the API migration slips 3 weeks because the external team has no SLA" is
- Ask follow-up questions rather than filling gaps with invention
- State which framework you are applying and why before starting
- End with a concrete output the user can act on — not just analysis

### MUST NOT DO
- Apply multiple frameworks simultaneously — this skill is for single-framework depth; use `mental-model-applier` for multi-model breadth
- Produce generic advice that would apply to any situation
- Accept "it depends" as a final answer — push for the specific version that applies here
- Skip the interactive element and produce a monologue

## Complementary Framework Pairings

After completing one mode, suggest a natural follow-on:

| Completed Mode | Natural Follow-On | Why |
|----------------|-------------------|-----|
| First Principles | Inversion | First Principles finds the right foundation; Inversion stress-tests it |
| Inversion | Second-Order Thinker | Inversion finds failure modes; Second-Order maps their downstream consequences |
| Regret Minimization | Opportunity Cost | Emotional clarity on direction + explicit tradeoffs of the chosen path |
| Opportunity Cost | First Principles | Tradeoffs made visible + assumptions challenged on why those options exist |

## Related

> For adversarially stress-testing any decision or plan: use `the-fool` skill.
> For applying three frameworks in parallel for perspective shift: use `mental-model-applier` skill.
> For mapping downstream consequences of a decision: use `second-order-thinker` skill.