Chapter 2, SCOPE, page 14
O: offer the smallest credible next move
Do not convert every observation into a large project. Useful next moves include:
• measure the current failure rate;
• reproduce the problem reliably;
• write a decision record;
• add one missing test around the risk;
• create a rollback checklist;
• prototype one path;
• run a one-module migration;
• document the manual process before automating it;
• ask for a ten-minute decision with two options. A one-screen proposal uses six lines:
1. Observation - what you found.
2. Impact - who or what is affected.
3. Recommendation - what you think should happen.
4. Smallest version - the first bounded move.
5. Trade-off - cost, risk, or work delayed.
6. Ask - the decision or permission needed.
Example
Observation: The login UI tests have failed intermittently in 14 of the last 40 pipelines. Impact: Reviewers rerun CI, adding delay and reducing trust in real failures. Recommendation: Quarantine the two unstable cases and instrument their failure conditions. Smallest version: One-day investigation and a fix-or-delete proposal. Trade-off: I will delay the settings cleanup task by one day. Ask: Can I use tomorrow's improvement budget for this investigation?
