Part 7 of 10 · Diagnosis
Diagnose any system in five questions.
Before redesigning, find the incentive that's actually driving behavior today.
1. What's rewarded?
Not what's said — what's paid, praised, or made easy.
2. What's punished?
Including friction, embarrassment, and wasted time.
3. Who decides vs who benefits?
Gaps here create principal–agent problems.
4. What's the default?
What happens if nobody does anything?
5. How could it be gamed?
If it can be, it will be.