The Decision Papers

  • The Decision Papers — The Mandate Diagnostic: How Authority Disintegrates. Banner with a technical diagram of a mechanical joint.

    I.4 — The Mandate Diagnostic: How Authority Disintegrates

    “The purpose of a system is what it does. There is no point in claiming that the purpose of a system is to do what it constantly fails to do.” — Stafford Beer Before you argue about strategy or data, audit the steering column. A decision is only as strong as the authority of the…

    The Decision Papers
  • The Decision Papers — Mandate Before Method: Who Has the Right to Steer? Banner with a dark ink wash brushstroke.

    I.3 — Mandate Before Method: Who Has the Right to Steer?

    “The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” — Cicero At 2:17 a.m. the system goes red, and the room is running on adrenaline. A downstream service is failing, the pager is screaming, and someone opens a terminal and finds a switch that appears to solve the problem in seconds. It is a…

    The Decision Papers