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Zhongwei Li
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skills/heuristics-and-checklists/resources/template.md
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skills/heuristics-and-checklists/resources/template.md
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# Heuristics and Checklists Templates
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Quick-start templates for designing decision heuristics and error-prevention checklists.
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## Decision/Procedure Identification Template
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**What needs simplification?**
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**Type**: [Decision / Procedure]
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**Frequency**: [How often does this occur? Daily / Weekly / Monthly]
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**Current approach**: [How is this currently done?]
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**Problems with current approach**:
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- [ ] Too slow (takes [X] hours/days)
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- [ ] Inconsistent outcomes (variance in quality)
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- [ ] Errors frequent ([X]% error rate)
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- [ ] Cognitive overload (too many factors to consider)
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- [ ] Analysis paralysis (can't decide, keep searching)
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- [ ] Knowledge not transferable (depends on expert intuition)
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**Goal**: [What do you want to achieve? Faster decisions? Fewer errors? Consistent quality?]
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---
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## Heuristic Design Template
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### Step 1: Define the Decision
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**Decision question**: [What am I choosing?]
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- Example: "Which job candidate to hire?"
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- Example: "Which customer segment to prioritize?"
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**Options**: [What are the alternatives?]
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1. [Option A]
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2. [Option B]
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3. [Option C]
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...
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### Step 2: Choose Heuristic Type
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**Type selected**: [Recognition / Take-the-Best / Satisficing / Fast & Frugal Tree]
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#### Option A: Recognition Heuristic
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**Rule**: If you recognize one option but not the other, choose the recognized one.
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**Applies when**:
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- Recognition correlates with quality (brands, cities, experts)
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- Environment stable (not deceptive advertising)
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**Example**: "Choose candidate from company I recognize (Google, Amazon) over unknown startup"
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#### Option B: Take-the-Best Heuristic
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**Most important criterion**: [What single factor best predicts outcome?]
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**Rule**: Choose the option that scores best on this criterion alone. Ignore other factors.
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**Example**: "For hiring engineers, use 'coding test score' only. Ignore school, years experience, personality."
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**Cue validity**: [How often does this criterion predict success? Aim for >70%]
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#### Option C: Satisficing
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**Minimum acceptable threshold**: [What criteria must be met?]
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| Criterion | Minimum | Notes |
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|-----------|---------|-------|
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| [Criterion 1] | [Threshold] | [e.g., "Coding score ≥80%"] |
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| [Criterion 2] | [Threshold] | [e.g., "Experience ≥2 years"] |
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| [Criterion 3] | [Threshold] | [e.g., "Culture fit ≥7/10"] |
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**Rule**: Choose first option that meets ALL thresholds. Stop searching.
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**Search budget**: [How many options to evaluate before lowering threshold? e.g., "Evaluate 3 candidates, if none meet threshold, adjust."]
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#### Option D: Fast & Frugal Tree
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**Decision tree**:
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```
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Question 1: [Binary question, e.g., "Is deal >$10k?"]
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├─ Yes → [Action A or Question 2]
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└─ No → [Action B]
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Question 2: [Next binary question]
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├─ Yes → [Action C]
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└─ No → [Action D]
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```
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**Example** (Customer routing):
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```
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Is customer enterprise (>1000 employees)?
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├─ Yes → Assign senior rep
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└─ No → Is deal value >$10k?
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├─ Yes → Assign mid-level rep
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└─ No → Self-serve flow
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```
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### Step 3: Define Exceptions
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**When this heuristic should NOT be used**:
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- [Condition 1: e.g., "Novel situation with no precedent"]
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- [Condition 2: e.g., "Stakes >$100k (requires full analysis)"]
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- [Condition 3: e.g., "Adversarial environment (deception likely)"]
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---
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## Checklist Design Template
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### Step 1: Identify Critical Steps
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**Procedure**: [What process needs a checklist?]
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**Brainstorm all steps** (comprehensive list first):
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1. [Step 1]
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2. [Step 2]
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3. [Step 3]
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...
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**Filter to critical steps** (keep only steps that meet ≥1 criterion):
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- [ ] Often skipped (easy to forget)
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- [ ] Serious consequences if missed (failures, errors, safety risks)
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- [ ] Not immediately obvious (requires deliberate check)
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**Critical steps** (5-10 items max):
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1. [Critical step 1]
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2. [Critical step 2]
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3. [Critical step 3]
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4. [Critical step 4]
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5. [Critical step 5]
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### Step 2: Choose Checklist Format
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**Format**: [READ-DO / DO-CONFIRM / Challenge-Response]
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**Guidance**:
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- **READ-DO**: Novices, unfamiliar procedures, irreversible actions
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- **DO-CONFIRM**: Experts, routine procedures, familiar tasks
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- **Challenge-Response**: Two-person verification for high-stakes
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### Step 3: Write Checklist
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**Checklist title**: [e.g., "Software Deployment Pre-Flight Checklist"]
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**Pause points**: [When to use this checklist?]
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- Before: [e.g., "Before initiating deployment"]
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- During: [e.g., "After migration, before going live"]
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- After: [e.g., "Post-deployment verification"]
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**Format template** (READ-DO):
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```
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[CHECKLIST TITLE]
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☐ [Verb-first action 1]
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└─ [Specific detail or criteria if needed]
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☐ [Verb-first action 2]
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⚠ [KILLER ITEM - must pass to proceed]
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☐ [Verb-first action 3]
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☐ [Verb-first action 4]
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☐ [Verb-first action 5]
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All items checked → Proceed with [next phase]
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```
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**Format template** (DO-CONFIRM):
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```
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[CHECKLIST TITLE]
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Perform procedure from memory, then confirm each item:
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☐ [Action 1 completed?]
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☐ [Action 2 completed?]
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☐ [Action 3 completed?]
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☐ [Action 4 completed?]
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☐ [Action 5 completed?]
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All confirmed → Procedure complete
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```
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---
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## Example Heuristics
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### Example 1: Hiring Decision (Satisficing)
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**Decision**: Choose job candidate from pool
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**Satisficing threshold**:
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| Criterion | Minimum |
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|-----------|---------|
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| Technical skills (coding test) | ≥75% |
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| Communication (interview rating) | ≥7/10 |
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| Culture fit (team feedback) | ≥7/10 |
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| Reference check | Positive |
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**Rule**: Evaluate candidates in order received. First candidate meeting ALL thresholds → Hire immediately. Don't keep searching for "perfect" candidate.
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**Search budget**: If first 5 candidates don't meet threshold, lower bar to 70% technical (but keep other criteria).
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### Example 2: Investment Decision (Take-the-Best)
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**Decision**: Which startup to invest in?
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**Most predictive criterion**: Founder track record (prior exits or significant roles)
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**Rule**: Rank startups by founder quality alone. Invest in top 2. Ignore market size, product, traction (assume cue validity of founder >70%).
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**Validation**: Test on past investments. If founder track record predicts success <70% of time, switch to different criterion.
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### Example 3: Customer Triage (Fast & Frugal Tree)
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**Decision**: How to route incoming customer inquiry?
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**Tree**:
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```
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Is customer enterprise (>1000 employees)?
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├─ Yes → Assign to senior account exec (immediate response)
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└─ No → Is issue billing/payment?
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├─ Yes → Assign to finance team
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└─ No → Is trial user (not paid)?
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├─ Yes → Self-serve knowledge base
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└─ No → Assign to support queue (24h SLA)
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```
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---
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## Example Checklists
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### Example 1: Software Deployment (READ-DO)
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```
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Software Deployment Pre-Flight Checklist
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☐ All tests passing
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└─ Unit, integration, E2E tests green
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⚠ Database migrations tested on staging
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└─ KILLER ITEM - Deployment blocked if migrations fail
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☐ Rollback plan documented
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└─ Link to runbook: [URL]
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☐ Monitoring dashboards configured
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└─ Alerts set for error rate, latency, traffic
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☐ On-call engineer identified and notified
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└─ Name: [___], Phone: [___]
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☐ Stakeholders notified of deployment window
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└─ Email sent with timing and impact
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☐ Feature flags configured
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└─ Gradual rollout enabled (10% → 50% → 100%)
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☐ Backups completed
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└─ Database backup timestamp: [___]
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All items checked → Proceed with deployment
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```
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### Example 2: Aviation Pre-Flight (DO-CONFIRM)
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```
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Pre-Flight Checklist (DO-CONFIRM)
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Perform checks, then confirm:
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☐ Fuel quantity verified (visual + gauge)
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☐ Flaps freedom of movement checked
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☐ Landing gear visual inspection complete
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☐ Oil level within limits
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☐ Control surfaces free and correct
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☐ Instruments verified (altimeter, compass, airspeed)
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☐ Seatbelts and harness secured
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☐ Flight plan filed
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All confirmed → Cleared for takeoff
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```
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### Example 3: Surgical Safety (WHO Checklist - Challenge/Response)
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```
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WHO Surgical Safety Checklist - Time Out (Before Incision)
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[Entire team pauses, nurse reads aloud, surgeon confirms each]
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☐ Confirm patient identity
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Response: "Name: [___], DOB: [___]"
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☐ Confirm surgical site and procedure
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Response: "Site marked, procedure: [___]"
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☐ Anticipated critical events reviewed
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Response: "Surgeon: [Key steps], Anesthesia: [Concerns], Nursing: [Equipment ready]"
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☐ Antibiotic prophylaxis given within 60 min
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Response: "Administered at [time]"
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☐ Essential imaging displayed
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Response: "[X-ray/MRI] displayed and reviewed"
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All confirmed → Surgeon may proceed with incision
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```
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---
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## Application & Monitoring Template
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### Applying Heuristic
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**Heuristic being applied**: [Name of rule]
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**Case log**:
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| Date | Decision | Heuristic Used | Outcome | Notes |
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|------|----------|----------------|---------|-------|
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| [Date] | [What decided] | [Which rule] | [Good / Bad] | [What happened] |
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| [Date] | [What decided] | [Which rule] | [Good / Bad] | [What happened] |
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**Success rate**: [X good outcomes / Y total decisions = Z%]
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**Goal**: ≥80% good outcomes. If <80%, refine heuristic.
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### Applying Checklist
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**Checklist being applied**: [Name of checklist]
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**Usage log**:
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| Date | Procedure | Items Caught | Errors Prevented | Time Added |
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|------|-----------|--------------|------------------|------------|
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| [Date] | [What done] | [# items flagged] | [What would've failed] | [+X min] |
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| [Date] | [What done] | [# items flagged] | [What would've failed] | [+X min] |
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**Error rate**:
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- Before checklist: [X% failure rate]
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- After checklist: [Y% failure rate]
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- **Improvement**: [(X-Y)/X × 100]% reduction
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---
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## Refinement Log Template
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**Iteration**: [#1, #2, #3...]
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**Date**: [When refined]
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**Problem identified**: [What went wrong? When did heuristic/checklist fail?]
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**Root cause**: [Why did it fail?]
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- [ ] Heuristic: Wrong criterion chosen, threshold too high/low, environment changed
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- [ ] Checklist: Missing critical step, too long (skipped), wrong format for user
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**Refinement made**:
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- **Before**: [Old rule/checklist]
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- **After**: [New rule/checklist]
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- **Rationale**: [Why this change should help]
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**Test plan**: [How to validate refinement? Test on X cases, monitor for Y weeks]
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**Outcome**: [Did refinement improve performance? Yes/No, by how much?]
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