Structured reasoning before building. Breaks assumptions, finds the real problem, validates the approach.
Before building anything, answer these questions. Write answers inline, not in a separate doc.
State it in one sentence. No jargon. If you can't, the problem isn't clear yet.
The chef? The client? The developer? The system? Be specific.
List every assumption. Challenge each one:
Strip away all complexity. What's the minimum that solves the stated problem? Start here.
Explicitly state what's out of scope. Prevents creep.
Top 3 failure modes. For each: how likely, how bad, how to detect.
Run against the developer's 7-question framework (memory/feedback_decision_framework.md):
FIRST PRINCIPLES - [topic]
PROBLEM: [one sentence]
WHO: [who has it]
ASSUMPTIONS: [list, each challenged]
SIMPLEST FIX: [minimum viable approach]
OUT OF SCOPE: [what we won't do]
RISKS: [top 3]
FRAMEWORK: [pass/flag on each of 7 questions]
VERDICT: [build / rethink / need more info]
Keep under 400 words. Dense, not verbose.