Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono's parallel thinking: everyone wears the same hat at the same time, so facts, feelings, risks, benefits and new ideas stop arguing inside one reply. One focus question, six roles in sequence.

When to use

• A decision, plan or idea where the user keeps mixing "what is true", "how I feel", "what could break" and "what could be great".
• The user names the method, de Bono, or asks for a hat-by-hat pass.
• A brainstorm or review that needs structure and a closing synthesis.

Skip: factual lookups, execution-only work, quick opinions where the user does not want six separate passes.

Before you start

1. Open with a short Blue (open) block: focus question (one sentence), mode, hat order. This block is the opening Blue pass; do not print a second opening section.
2. Gather first. If you can read files, search or run queries, do it before filling White. Ask up to 3 questions only for what tools cannot answer, then proceed and note gaps in plain words.
3. Light path. Small ask: 2 bullets per hat, 3-bullet synthesis. Otherwise 3 bullets per hat; add detail only when the user asks for depth.

Modes