thinking-kepner-tregoe

1# Kepner-Tregoe Analysis
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3**Core rule:** Diagnose deviations by testing causes against both IS and IS-NOT. Compare consequential choices by screening MUSTs, weighting WANTs, and exposing adverse consequences before selecting.
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5## When to Use
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7- A defect affects some objects, places, times, or cohorts but not comparable others.
8- Several candidate causes remain and the contrast boundary can discriminate them.
9- A consequential option choice has explicit non-negotiables, competing objectives, and risks that should be compared consistently.
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11## When NOT to Use
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13- A uniform failure has no meaningful IS-NOT contrast, or the cause is already confirmed.
14- One cheap observation settles the cause or one option plainly dominates every requirement.
15- The criteria cannot be made operational; clarify them before assigning weights.
16- The task is forward failure discovery for a planned change rather than diagnosis or option selection.
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18## Procedure
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201. **Choose the mode.** Use Problem Analysis for a deviation from expected behavior; use Decision Analysis for a choice among options. State the target and do not mix scores with causal evidence.
212. **Frame the target.** For a deviation, record object, defect, location, time, extent, and impact. For a choice, state the decision, alternatives, constraints, and deadline.
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