PART XIV: The Mad Skills Practice System

Knowing the framework isn't enough. You have to practice using it. The objective of practice is not perfection. It is repeated recovery and improvement.

Practice 1: Decipher the Case

Take a case and give yourself 10 minutes.

Write only:

Organisation:
What business are they really in?
Situation:
Complication:
Core problem:
Root cause:
Decision required:
Success looks like:
Case characteristics:
Questions we need to answer:

Do not build a solution yet. The purpose is to practice deciphering.

Practice 2: Framework Selection

Take the questions from Practice 1. For each question, identify: Question → Framework → Expected Insight → Decision Impact. If you cannot explain what the framework will help you discover, don't use it.

Practice 3: Insight Building

Take five facts from a case. For each: Fact → Observation → Insight → Implication → Decision. This exercise teaches you to stop reporting information and start analysing it.

Practice 4: Alternative Generation

Create three realistic alternatives. Then ask:

Are they meaningfully different?
Are they realistic?
Are they implementable?
Are they MECE?
What decision criteria will distinguish them?

Practice 5: The Recommendation Test

Give your recommendation to someone who has not seen your analysis. Ask: "Does this recommendation feel inevitable based on the evidence?" If the answer is no, please review your analysis or decision logic.

Practice 6: Implementation Challenge

Take your recommendation and answer:

What?
Who?
When?
How?
Cost?
Risk?
Mitigation?
KPI?

If you can't answer these questions, you don't yet have an implementable recommendation.