Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 6402 answers
For every important process have a documented way to recover from common failures.
For every important process have a documented way to recover from common failures.
Recurring errors point to structural problems not personal failures.
Recurring errors point to structural problems not personal failures.
Use tools and systems to catch errors that manual vigilance misses.
Use tools and systems to catch errors that manual vigilance misses.
Every correction takes time and energy — reduce the error rate rather than just correcting faster.
Errors teach you more about your systems than successes do.
Errors teach you more about your systems than successes do.
The best systems detect and correct their own errors without manual intervention.
When you run several cognitive agents they need to work together not interfere with each other.
When you run several cognitive agents they need to work together not interfere with each other.
Some agents must run in a specific order — define the sequence explicitly.
Some agents must run in a specific order — define the sequence explicitly.
When agents need to share information define clearly how that information flows.
When agents need to share information define clearly how that information flows.
Common patterns like pipeline fan-out and consensus for coordinating multiple agents.
Coordination itself costs effort — keep the coordination cost proportional to the benefit.
Coordination itself costs effort — keep the coordination cost proportional to the benefit.
Sometimes combined agent behavior produces results none of the individual agents intended.
Sometimes combined agent behavior produces results none of the individual agents intended.
Your set of agents is an ecosystem — it needs balance and periodic assessment.
Use clear criteria to decide what to delegate, what to automate, and what to keep.
Vague delegation produces vague results. Specify the outcome, constraints, and success criteria before handing anything off.