systematic-investigation

name

systematic-investigation

description

Debug, investigate, and solve complex problems using structured frameworks (5 Whys, Fishbone, OODA, First Principles, PDCA). Use for tricky bugs, failure investigation, root cause analysis, architectural decisions, pre-mortem, or untangling multi-concern situations. Also activate when stuck in circles, on vague/recurring symptoms, or "why does this keep happening." Trigger phrases: "debug this", "troubleshoot", "figure out why", "root cause", "what's going wrong", "fix this bug", "this keeps breaking", "first principles", "pre-mortem", "red team this", "challenge assumptions", "go deeper", "rethink this", "inversion".

Systematic Investigation

Structured problem-solving — not guess-and-check.

DEFINE → ANALYZE → SOLVE & ACT → CHALLENGE

Iron law: no fixes without root-cause investigation first.

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Framework selection

Situation	Use	Phase	Deep ref
Vague symptom	5W → 5 Whys	Define → Analyze	references/define-and-debug.md, root-cause-frameworks.md
Multiple causes	Ishikawa	Analyze	root-cause-frameworks.md
Recurring / systemic	Iceberg	Analyze	root-cause-frameworks.md
Stuck on assumptions	First Principles	Analyze	root-cause-frameworks.md
Live incident	OODA	Solve	solve-and-challenge.md
Iterative improvement	PDCA	Solve	solve-and-challenge.md
Stakeholder report	A3	Solve	solve-and-challenge.md
Multi-concern mess	Kepner-Tregoe SA	Define	define-and-debug.md
Technical bug / test fail	Debug protocol (4 sub-phases)	All	define-and-debug.md

Load one deep ref at a time. Elicitation second pass: references/elicitation-methods.md. Origins: references/origins.md.

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Mandatory flow

1. Define — 5W statement: "[Who] experiences [What] in [Where] since [When], causing [impact]." Load define-and-debug.md if tangled or technical.
2. Analyze — pick method from table; load root-cause-frameworks.md. Confirm root cause with evidence.
3. Governance capture (if AI/process gap) — note rule/skill gap for handoff / skill-author audit (advisory).
4. Solve — 5 Hows or OODA/PDCA; load solve-and-challenge.md. Fix root cause, not symptom. One change at a time.
5. Challenge — pre-mortem / adversarial vectors; PROCEED | REVISE | RETHINK. Optional: elicitation methods.
6. Report — use references/report-template.md when handing off or documenting.

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Debug red flags (STOP)

• "Quick fix now, investigate later"
• Multiple fixes at once; 3+ failed fixes without re-analysis
• Proposing solutions before tracing data flow
• "Just try X and see"

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Done checklist

• Problem defined clearly (5W)
• Root cause confirmed with evidence
• Solution addresses root cause
• Solution challenged (Phase 4)
• Concrete action + verification + prevention plan
• Report filled when stakeholder/handoff needs it