Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Inconsistent outputs despite consistent effort = missing…
When a workflow produces inconsistent outputs despite consistent effort, diagnose missing or unstable input-output specifications before attempting to fix the process itself.
Use SBAR…
Structure handoff communications using the SBAR protocol (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) when transferring responsibility for work between people or contexts.
Collect at least 5 measurements before improving…
Collect at least five measurements of a workflow before attempting to improve it, to distinguish common-cause variation (inherent system fluctuation) from special-cause variation (identifiable disruptions).
Track workflow quality with tension-paired metrics…
Track workflow quality using multiple metrics that create tension with each other—at minimum cycle time, error rate, and energy cost—to prevent optimization of any single metric from corrupting the system.
Exactly one improvement per execution cycle — not zero…
After each workflow execution, identify exactly one improvement to implement before the next execution—not zero, not three—to enable attribution of changes to effects.
Give each workflow change 3-5 executions before deciding…
Give each workflow change at least three to five executions before deciding whether to keep, modify, or revert it, to distinguish persistent effects from noise and prevent oscillation.
Workflow variants are complete strategies for specific…
Design workflow variants as complete self-contained strategies for specific contexts rather than as degraded versions of a single 'ideal' workflow, with each variant having its own integrity and appropriate output standards.
Test composability by replacing one sub-workflow without…
Test workflow composition by attempting to replace one sub-workflow without breaking others—if replacement forces changes to adjacent workflows, interfaces are leaking.
Preserve intermediate outputs as concrete artifacts…
Every boundary between composed workflows must preserve an intermediate output as a concrete artifact to enable resumption, failure recovery, and reuse.
Insert AI as a transformation step between workflow stages…
Insert AI sub-workflows between composed workflow stages by providing the previous stage's output plus a specific transformation instruction, treating AI as a transformation step not a decision maker.
Three review altitudes
Review workflows weekly for execution status, monthly for portfolio health, and quarterly for strategic alignment—each altitude catches different kinds of drift.
Retire workflows inactive for 60+ days…
Retire workflows that have not been executed in 60+ days unless they are seasonal or event-triggered, as inactive workflows accumulate maintenance debt without providing value.
Make workflows portable by naming tools with alternatives…
Make workflows context-independent by naming specific tools and providing alternatives, not by eliminating specificity—separate essential logic from incidental implementation.
Test shareability by having an unfamiliar person execute…
Test workflow shareability by having an unfamiliar person execute it without your help—every stumble reveals tacit knowledge you failed to externalize.
Mark shared workflow steps as fixed (deviation breaks it)…
In shared workflows, explicitly mark which steps are fixed (deviation breaks the workflow) and which are customizable (reader can substitute tools/preferences).
Progress sharing from private notes to team docs to public…
Progress workflow sharing from private notes to team documentation to public templates only after the current level is validated—premature publication of under-tested workflows creates more problems than value.
Systematize only recurring activities with consistency…
Apply workflow design methodology only to recurring activities with consistency requirements—protect spontaneous, creative, and variable activities from systematization.
The ideal week is a gravitational field, not a mandate…
Treat the ideal week template as a gravitational field that pulls actual weeks toward designed structure rather than as a mandate requiring perfect execution—measure success by adherence trend over time, not weekly perfection.
Never apply the two-minute rule during maker time…
Never apply the two-minute rule during maker-time blocks—capture small tasks for later processing instead, as a 2-minute interruption during deep work costs 25+ minutes in context recovery time.
Consolidate meetings into 1-2 designated days — meeting…
Consolidate all meetings into one or two designated days per week rather than scattering them across every day, because meeting distribution destroys more productive capacity than meeting duration.
Reverse the default
Implement office hours for coordination requests rather than accepting meeting invitations throughout the week—reverse the default from 'available unless blocked' to 'unavailable except during designated windows'.
Move meeting requests that land on maker blocks…
When a meeting request arrives during a blocked maker session, move the meeting to a manager-mode block rather than accepting the fragmentation—treat maker blocks with equal calendar commitment as external client meetings.
Default to 25 or 50-minute meetings instead of 30 or 60…
Change default meeting durations to 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60 to automatically create buffers between consecutive meetings without requiring individual negotiation for each transition.
Scale buffer time to cognitive distance
Schedule 5-minute buffers between meetings of similar type, 10-15 minute buffers between cognitively different activity types, and 20-minute buffers after intense or emotional interactions to contain context-switching costs within designated intervals.