decompose

Steps

1. What is the whole for, and where does it end?

Name its purpose and its boundary: what belongs inside and what does not. Where the purpose is unknown, say so and mark every cut below as provisional.

2. Which axis fits, and which relations along it?

Choose one axis for this level. Part-of, for things: components, members, portions, materials, phases, qualities, places. Means-to, for goals and tasks: subgoals, cases, constraints. Select only the relations that fit.

3. Where are the natural joints?

Cut where boundaries already exist. A cut sits at a joint when the interface across it stays small, the parts on each side change for independent reasons, properties change abruptly at the line, and each part serves one function of the whole.

4. Do the parts cover the whole exactly?

Look for gaps, a piece of the whole no part holds, and overlaps, a piece two parts both hold. Move cuts until neither remains.

5. Which parts need another pass?