Assumption Reversal

Solutions stay trapped inside the assumptions a problem is stated with. Assumption reversal makes those premises explicit, negates or reverses each, and generates ideas from the reversed world. It is not generic inversion ("how would we cause failure?"); it targets the foundational premises the option space rests on and uses their reversal as an idea generator. The output is an assumptions-and-reversals sheet ending in a shortlist. Reversed assumptions are candidates to explore, not recommendations.

When to Use

• An option space feels stuck inside default constraints.
• The obvious solutions all seem to share a hidden premise.
• Early divergent exploration, when breadth matters more than convergence.

When NOT to Use

• When the binding constraints are genuinely fixed (regulatory, physical) and cannot be reversed in reality.
• When you need to converge and choose (use a decision skill).
• As a source of recommendations (it produces candidates, not decisions).
• If it would only reverse trivial, cosmetic assumptions.

Instructions