spcf-specific-analysis

name	spcf - Specific Analysis
description	Apply a principle, framework, or general insight to a specific case — translating abstract knowledge into concrete, actionable guidance tailored to the exact situation, constraints, and context at hand.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Specific Analysis

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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Core Principles

1. General principles don't apply themselves. "First-mover advantage matters" is a general insight. Whether it applies to YOUR product, in YOUR market, with YOUR resources, right now — that's the specific question. The gap between general knowledge and specific application is where most advice fails.

2. Context is everything. The same general principle produces opposite recommendations in different contexts. "Move fast" is right for a startup in an empty market and wrong for a medical device company. Specific analysis means taking context seriously — not as a footnote, but as the primary input.

3. Specificity means naming names. Not "consider your resources" but "you have $50K, two engineers, and 3 months." Not "assess the competition" but "your competitor shipped this feature last Tuesday." The more specific the inputs, the more actionable the output.

4. The value of specific analysis is that it can be wrong. General principles are safe because they're always somewhat true. Specific recommendations are valuable because they're precise enough to be precisely wrong — and therefore precisely right when they work. Aim for precision, not safety.

5. Adaptation is not just application. You can't just paste a general framework onto a specific case. The specific case has features the general principle doesn't account for — constraints, quirks, history, relationships. Adaptation means modifying the general approach to fit the terrain.

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Phase 1: Situation Specification

Get maximally specific about the actual situation.

[SP1] SITUATION: [what's happening, specifically]
[SP2] ACTORS: [who is involved — named, with roles and stakes]
[SP3] CONSTRAINTS: [specific limitations — time, money, people, permissions, dependencies]
[SP4] HISTORY: [what's already happened — what's been tried, what failed, what worked]
[SP5] CONTEXT: [the broader environment — market, organization, relationships, timing]
[SP6] GOAL: [what specific outcome is needed]
[SP7] SUCCESS_CRITERIA: [how you'll know it worked — specific, measurable]

Specificity Test

For each field: could this description apply to a DIFFERENT situation? If yes, it's not specific enough. Push until the description uniquely identifies THIS case.

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Phase 2: Applicable Principles

Identify what general knowledge applies to this specific case.

[SP-N] PRINCIPLE: [general insight or framework]
     SOURCE: [where this comes from — experience, theory, analogy, skill]
     APPLIES_BECAUSE: [what features of this specific case match the principle's conditions]
     DOESN'T_FULLY_FIT_BECAUSE: [what features of this case the principle doesn't account for]
     ADAPTATION_NEEDED: [how to modify the principle for this context]

Application Quality Check

Check	Question
Conditions met?	Does this specific case actually meet the principle's boundary conditions?
Scale match?	Is the principle calibrated for this scale? (Startup advice for a startup, not for a government)
Time match?	Is the principle still relevant at this point in the situation?
Resource match?	Does the principle assume resources the specific case doesn't have?
Culture match?	Does the principle assume a context that doesn't apply here?

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Phase 3: Concrete Recommendations

Translate principles into specific, actionable steps for THIS case.

[SP-N] RECOMMENDATION: [specific action to take]
     DERIVED_FROM: [which principle, adapted how]
     WHO: [specific person or role who does this]
     WHEN: [specific timing — not "soon" but "this week" or "before the meeting on Thursday"]
     HOW: [specific method — not "reach out" but "email Sarah with the Q3 numbers and ask for a 30-min meeting"]
     COST: [specific resources required]
     RISK: [what could go wrong with THIS specific action]
     EXPECTED_RESULT: [what should happen if this works]
     IF_IT_FAILS: [specific contingency for this action]

Recommendation Quality Rules

• Named actors: Not "the team" but "Alice and Bob"
• Specific timelines: Not "soon" but "by Friday"
• Concrete actions: Not "improve communication" but "schedule a weekly 15-min standup at 9am"
• Measurable results: Not "better outcomes" but "reduce churn from 5% to 3%"
• Realistic constraints: Recommendations must be achievable with the stated resources

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Phase 4: Scenario Walkthrough

Walk through the specific scenario with the recommendations applied.

[SP-N] SCENARIO:
     STEP_1: [what happens first — specifically]
     LIKELY_RESPONSE: [how the situation and actors respond]
     STEP_2: [what happens next]
     LIKELY_RESPONSE: [response]
     ...
     EXPECTED_OUTCOME: [where this path leads]
     RISK_POINTS: [where things could go differently]

If-Then Branches

[SP-N] IF [specific condition occurs]:
     THEN: [specific adjusted action]
     BECAUSE: [why this contingency]

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Phase 5: Output

SPECIFIC ANALYSIS
=================

SITUATION: [one-paragraph summary with all key specifics]
GOAL: [specific outcome]

RECOMMENDATIONS (in order):
  1. [WHO] does [WHAT] by [WHEN]
     EXPECTED RESULT: [specific outcome]
     IF IT FAILS: [contingency]

  2. [WHO] does [WHAT] by [WHEN]
     EXPECTED RESULT: [specific outcome]
     IF IT FAILS: [contingency]

  3. [WHO] does [WHAT] by [WHEN]
     EXPECTED RESULT: [specific outcome]
     IF IT FAILS: [contingency]

KEY RISKS:
  1. [risk] — PROBABILITY: [level] — MITIGATION: [specific action]

PRINCIPLES APPLIED:
  - [principle] → adapted as [specific application] because [context]

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: [specific, observable success state]
REVIEW IN: [specific time] — CHECK: [what to evaluate]

READY FOR:
- /genl — to extract general lessons from this specific case later
- /hrd — for maximum rigor on the highest-stakes recommendation
- /ar — to trace what follows from these recommendations

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Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Generic recommendations	"Improve your process" without naming what, who, when	Every recommendation needs named actors, specific timelines, concrete actions
Principle pasted, not adapted	Applied a framework without modifying for context	Check each principle against the specificity test. Adapt for constraints and context
Missing context	Recommendations that ignore stated constraints	Re-read the constraints. If a recommendation violates a constraint, it's not viable
Unrealistic	Recommendations requiring resources the user doesn't have	Check each recommendation against stated resources
No contingency	"Do X" with no plan for when X fails	Every recommendation needs an if-it-fails branch
Vague timeline	"Soon" or "when ready" instead of specific dates	Pin every action to a specific time or trigger event
Over-specified	So many specific steps that the user is micromanaged	3-5 high-level recommendations with specifics, not 20 micro-steps

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Depth Scaling

Depth	Recommendations	Scenario Walkthrough	Contingencies	Principles
1x	2-3	No	One per recommendation	1-2 applied
2x	3-5	Key path	One per recommendation	2-3 applied and adapted
4x	5-7	Full with branches	Multiple per recommendation	Full principle audit
8x	7+	Full + adversarial scenarios	Complete contingency tree	All applicable + cross-domain

Default: 2x. These are floors.

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Pre-Completion Checklist

• Situation described with maximum specificity (passes uniqueness test)
• Constraints explicitly stated and respected
• Principles adapted for context (not just applied generically)
• Every recommendation has WHO, WHAT, WHEN, and IF-IT-FAILS
• Recommendations are achievable with stated resources
• Timelines are specific (not "soon")
• Expected results are measurable
• Key risks identified with mitigations

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Integration

• Use from: applying frameworks to real situations, making advice actionable, implementing strategies
• Routes to: /genl (extract lessons after execution), /hrd (maximum rigor on key actions)
• Complementary: /genl (genl extracts principles; spcf applies them — natural pair)
• Differs from /genl: genl goes specific→general; spcf goes general→specific
• Differs from /ezy: ezy simplifies the path; spcf specifies it for the exact context
• Differs from /action: action executes a task; spcf provides the specific analytical foundation for execution