Find Unknowns

Surface consequential unknowns before expensive work starts. Begin with the cheapest useful technique and adapt to what it reveals within the same objective and authorized resources. Finish with a launch brief, then continue any next action the user has already authorized. A brief does not create new authority.

Quick Start

1. Establish the starting point. Inspect available files, repository context, and prior artifacts before asking for facts. If the user's familiarity with the domain is unclear, make the brief self-contained. Ask only when familiarity changes a material decision or the useful discovery technique.

2. Choose a technique for the consequential unknown:

   Dominant unknown	Signal	Technique
   Unknown unknowns	New domain; doesn't know what to ask or what "good" looks like	Blindspot brief
   Unsettled scope or direction	"Something in this area"; competing ways to attack	Option map
   Unknown knowns (taste)	"I'll know it when I see it"	Throwaway variants
   Known unknowns	Nameable open questions	Mini-interview
   Inexpressible want	Can't describe it, but an example exists somewhere	Reference request