Problem Framing Audit (Discipline -1)

Before you solve, audit the frame. A flawless solution to the wrong problem is still a wrong answer.

Purpose

The first failure mode in critical thinking is solving the wrong problem precisely (Mitroff & Featheringham 1974, Type III error). Most "thinking harder" effort runs downstream of a frame that was never audited — the user's literal request, restated as my plan, treated as ground truth. This skill is the structural answer.

The frame audit runs before the materiality gate. Materiality asks "if I get this answer wrong, would it change anything?" Framing asks something prior: "am I even working on the right question?"

When to Activate