QUICK-6: six questions before engineering
Protocol 0.1-rc.4-candidate.2 · Advisor-led · Low risk only
Purpose: decide whether the evidence supports a bounded engineering commitment—not deployment.
Check risk first. Any moderate, high, or unknown risk dimension routes to FULL. Use QUICK-6 only when current records and the proposed artifact are available. The <=15-minute target is untested; preparation is reported separately. Capture and explaining the result count as session time.
| Ask in ordinary language | Look for |
|---|---|
| 1. What happens today? | A recent measured case; connected current steps, people, time, touches, errors, review, escalation, rework, and volume. |
| 2. What needs to improve, for whom? | A specific outcome, an actual need source, scope, and alternatives considered. |
| 3. What happens when things go wrong? | Normal, edge, recovery, and escalation paths; owners; human and automated action boundaries. |
| 4. What demonstrates the important behavior? | Each requirement linked to the exact artifact and its validation. Label what is only specified or simulated. |
| 5. What work remains for people? | Review, correction, escalation/rework, residual manual work, and recurring/one-time costs. |
| 6. Is that enough to fund the next step? | Low-risk evidence threshold met, critical findings resolved, accountable owner, limits, and a bounded decision. |
Stop visibly; leave a useful next action
At the first failed or missing gate, say:
“We cannot support the engineering commitment yet because _. The next action is _. The owner is ____.”
Record the stopped gate. Later questions are NOT_EVALUATED, not passes. Keep known critical findings visible. Missing evidence means INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE; a demonstrated defect means REVISE. Missing baseline means ROI is indeterminate.
If continuing in FULL, save the stopped record first, then create a linked revision using previous_run_id and revision_summary. Reuse unchanged evidence. Do not erase the earlier stop.
Close the conversation
When all gates pass, PROCEED_TO_ENGINEERING means the owner may consider a bounded engineering step. It says nothing about deployment or operational performance.
Ask the participant: “In your own words, what does this result allow—and what is the next action?” Record confusion rather than coaching it away. Ask whether the evidence was easy to find.
Minimal session notes
Workflow and unit of work: _
Date / facilitator / participant role:
Risk and reason: _
Preparation / session minutes: / _
Stopped gate or all gates passed:
Missing evidence / next action / owner: _
Participant's explanation and confusing questions:
The full record is completed by the facilitator or tool. Do not turn this worksheet into a promise of savings. See Start here or FULL.