Decision making

Framework Elements
Chesterton's Fence - Don't tear down a process until you know why it exists.
- Prevent well-meaning but harmful change.
Gall's Law - Complex systems that work start out simple.
- Build small, prove it, then scale.
Goodhart's Law - When a metric becomes a target, it stops being a good metric.
- Vital reminder for any KPI or bonus system.
Hanlon's Razor - Don't assume malice when confusion, bad info, or incentives explain the behavior.
- Useful for defusing politics and blam when stakes are high.
Hickman's Dictum - More than one cause can be true at once.
- Helps when messy problems resist a single, tidy answer.
Hofstadter's Law - Everything takes longer than you expect, even when you account for this fact.
- A humble check on any plan.
Occam's Razor - Start with the simplest explanation that fits.
Complexity is often a symptom, not the solution.
Parkinson's Law - Work expands to fill the time available.
- Shorter deadlines often force focus, not failure.
Peter Principle - People rise to their level of incompetence.
- A nudge to test for future fit, not just past performance.
Shirky Principle - Institutions tend to preserve the problem they were created to solve.
- Explains why some systems resist even smart change.
Sturgeon's Law - Roughly 90% of everything is mediocre.
- Assume most ideas are average; hunt for the rare standout.
Sutton's Law - Go where the money is.
- Attack the obvious, high-leverage issue before chasing exotic problems.