Method · Stage 01

Observe: build a useful representation of the situation

Select, qualify and connect the evidence, sources, actors and limits that can materially change a strategic decision and its scope.

Key points

What to remember

  1. 01

    An explicit observation question

  2. 02

    Dated and contextualized sources

  3. 03

    Evidence separated from assumptions

  4. 04

    A bounded corpus rather than a claim of exhaustiveness

01

Start from the decision, not the volume of data

Define what could change the trade-off. This question determines which sources to examine, the period, the geographic scope and the level of precision required.

  • Decision concerned
  • Critical variables
  • Observation period
  • Included and excluded sources
  • Evidence still missing
02

Qualify the evidence rigorously

A source should be described by its origin, method, freshness and scope. A contradiction is not noise to remove: it can reveal a difference in definitions or a decisive uncertainty.

NatureTreatmentCaution
EvidenceLink to a dated sourceCheck definition and scope
EstimateRetain the methodShow range and limits
AssumptionName the ownerTest sensitivity
InterpretationPresent it as a readingRetain its interpretive status
03

What the workspaces make observable

Atlas organises the context of the decision file. Nexus can explore a bounded web arena and calculate relationships or centrality measures within the collected corpus.

Parameters, scope and sources accompany each interpretation so that its exact reach remains clear.

MOD

Workspaces relevant to this step