thinking-margin-of-safety
Margin of Safety
Overview
Margin of Safety, borrowed from Benjamin Graham's investment philosophy and structural engineering, is the practice of building in buffers to account for unknown unknowns. In a world of uncertainty, systems optimized to the edge are brittle. Robust systems have slack, reserves, and room for error.
Core Principle: Build in buffers. The world is uncertain. Systems without margin fail when stressed.
When to Use
- Capacity planning
- Deadline and timeline estimation
- Architecture design
- Resource allocation
- Risk management
- SLA commitments
- Infrastructure provisioning
- Any commitment under uncertainty
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