decompose

Follow these steps:

1. State the whole

State what is being examined.

2. Identify part-whole relations

For things: components, members, portions, materials, phases, qualities, places. For tasks and problems: subgoals, cases, constraints, epistemic status (know / assume / verify / ask). Select only the relations that fit.

3. Find the natural joints

Find where boundaries already exist. A cut sits at a joint when the interface stays small, the parts change for independent reasons, and properties change abruptly at the line.

4. Verify coverage and connections

Do the parts account for the whole — no gaps, no overlaps? How do parts relate to each other?

5. Recurse