thinking-reversibility

1# Reversibility
2 
3Core rule: match process depth to undo cost. Most decisions are cheaper to reverse than they look; irreversible ones deserve deliberation and staged commitment.
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5## When to Use
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7- Uncertain how much analysis a decision deserves (tech, process, product, org)
8- Tempted to committee a low-blast-radius choice, or to rush a high-lock-in one
9- Can redesign the move (pilot, flag, abstraction, time-box) to lower undo cost
10- High-stakes choice where acting vs waiting have asymmetric recovery profiles
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12## When NOT to Use
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14- Already classified this session—decide at matched depth; do not re-label forever
15- Trivial two-way calls (names, local refactors) where deciding is cheaper than classifying
16- Externally forced move with no optionality (hard deadline, contract, regulation)
17- Correctness gates (security, data integrity) that need the right answer, not speed theater
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19## Procedure
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211. **Name the decision and undo path.** State what would be committed and the concrete reverse move (rollback, migrate back, revoke, re-hire, re-contract).
222. **Score reversibility.** Assess technical effort, time, money, reputation, dependents, and learning lost if reversed. Classify:
23   - **Type 2:** undo in days, low cost → decide fast
24   - **Type 1.5:** undo in weeks, moderate cost → light structure + monitor
25   - **Type 1:** months or not realistically undoable → deliberate
263. **Asymmetric downside / recovery.** For Type 1 or 1.5:
27   - Acting wrong: downside, recoverable?, recovery cost
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