Step 4 of 7 · Days 5 to 8
How deep does the fix go?
The question is never whether to fix. It is how deep, and where fixing stops. Too shallow and the symptom returns forever. Too deep and money is spent tearing down what only needed repair.
Disagreeing number pairs get flagged during Reality. The trace down to the shared root runs here, and then one working session sizes the traced problems together. Five checks run in that session so the depth decision rests on readings, not on whoever argues best.
Patching forever because every patch looks small, or rebuilding everything because admitting a shallower fix feels like a smaller admission. Both burn time you may not have.
Tool 5 of 32
Pairs of numbers that must agree, traced down to their shared root. The count of patches on the way down is the depth gauge.
Disagreeing pairs get flagged during Reality. The trace down to the shared root runs in Depth, before the working session that sizes the fix.
Tool 14 of 32
Is each standing quick fix still living inside the condition it was built for, or has that condition quietly expired?
First check in the Depth working session, after the traces, against each standing quick fix on the traced problems.
Tool 15 of 32
Is the mess growing faster than the patching, or is patching still keeping pace?
Second check in the Depth working session, read from artifacts, never from vibes.
Tool 16 of 32
The shallowest level at which a fix stops the symptom coming back. That layer is the stop line, and it makes the cost question answerable.
Third check in the Depth working session, after validity and compounding, with the stop line written before stability is scored.
Tool 17 of 32
Does each proposed move make the next change easier or harder?
Fourth check in the Depth working session, on the moves that implement the fix to the stop line, plus anything else still on the table.
Tool 18 of 32
Before the call, each person names the distortion most likely pulling on them today. Naming reduces grip.
Fifth check in the Depth working session, round the table, each person naming the distortion pulling on them today, before the depth verdict is final.