Mikado Method

Use for complex refactoring where direct implementation causes cascading failures across multiple classes/modules.

When to Use

• Refactoring goal affects multiple classes/modules | Direct implementation causes cascade of failures
• Dependencies not immediately clear | High risk of breaking existing functionality

Core Process

Cycle: Set Goal > Experiment > Visualize prerequisites > Revert to working state.

Treat compilation/test failures as valuable information -- each failure reveals a prerequisite node in the dependency graph. Revert keeps codebase shippable at all times.

Discovery-Tracking Protocol

Commit immediately after each dependency discovery to preserve exploration history and enable interrupt/resume.