/dissent
Structured disagreement that strengthens decisions. Find flaws before the one-way door closes.
Dissent is not attack. It's actively seeking reasons you might be wrong.
When to Use
Invoke /dissent when: about to lock in a one-way door (architecture, public API, major hires), confidence is high but stakes are higher, team is converging too quickly, you're defending a position, or the path forward seems obvious.
Do not use when: Gathering initial options or brainstorming. Dissent stress-tests decisions, not generates them.
The Dissent Process
Step 1: Steel-Man the Current Approach
Before attacking, articulate the position:
"The current approach is [approach]. The reasoning is [reasoning]. The expected outcome is [outcome]. This is the best version of this position."
If you can't state it charitably, you don't understand it well enough to challenge it.
Step 2: Seek Contrary Evidence
- What data would prove this approach wrong?
- Who disagrees? What's their argument?
- What similar approaches have failed elsewhere? Why?
- What are we ignoring because it's inconvenient?
"If this approach were wrong, what would we expect to see? Are we seeing any of that?"
Step 3: Pre-Mortem
Imagine it's six months from now and this decision failed. Work backward:
"This failed because [reason]. The warning signs we ignored were [signs]. The assumption that broke was [assumption]."
Generate at least three plausible failure scenarios:
- Technical failure — it doesn't work as expected
- Adoption failure — it works but nobody uses it / changes nothing
- Opportunity cost — it works but we should have done something else
Step 4: Surface Hidden Assumptions
Every decision rests on unstated assumptions. Find them:
- What are we assuming about the user/customer?
- What are we assuming about the system/codebase?
- What are we assuming about timeline/resources?
- What are we assuming won't change?
For each:
Assumption: [what we're taking for granted]
Evidence: [what supports this]
Risk if wrong: [what happens]
Test: [how to validate before committing]Step 5: Decide
- PROCEED — no critical flaws found; decision strengthened
- ADJUST — issues surfaced that can be addressed; modify the approach
- RECONSIDER — fundamental problems revealed; back to solution space
"PROCEED: The counter-argument is [X], but it's addressed by [Y]. The key assumption is [Z], which we've validated by [how]."
ADR Generation
If the decision is a one-way door and you recommend PROCEED or ADJUST, offer to create an Architecture Decision Record. The dissent report maps directly:
| Dissent Section | ADR Section |
|---|---|
| Decision under review | Title |
| Steel-Man Position | Context |
| Contrary Evidence + Pre-Mortem | Options Considered |
| Hidden Assumptions | Consequences |
| Decision + Reasoning | Decision |
Write to docs/adr/NNNN-<decision-slug>.md if accepted.
Output Format
## Dissent Report
**Decision under review:** [what's being challenged]
**Stakes:** [why this matters]
**Confidence before dissent:** [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]
### Steel-Man Position
[The best version of the current approach]
### Contrary Evidence
1. [Evidence point 1]
2. [Evidence point 2]
3. [Evidence point 3]
### Pre-Mortem Scenarios
1. **[Failure mode]:** [How this could fail]
2. **[Failure mode]:** [How this could fail]
3. **[Failure mode]:** [How this could fail]
### Hidden Assumptions
| Assumption | Evidence | Risk if Wrong | Test |
|------------|----------|---------------|------|
| [Assumption 1] | [Evidence] | [Risk] | [Test] |
### Decision
**Recommendation:** [PROCEED / ADJUST / RECONSIDER]
**Reasoning:** [Why]
**If ADJUST:** [Specific modifications]
**Confidence after dissent:** [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]
**Create ADR?** [Yes - offer path / No - not a one-way door]Session Persistence
Reads: Aim, Problem Statement, Solution Space — context for the decision being challenged.
Writes: Dissent report:
## Dissent
**Updated:** <timestamp>
**Decision:** [PROCEED | ADJUST | RECONSIDER]
[dissent report content]Position in Framework
Combines with: /solution-space (challenge the recommendation), /problem-statement (challenge the framing), /execute (before one-way doors). Leads to: PROCEED (continue with confidence), ADJUST (modify approach), or RECONSIDER (back to solution-space). This is not a phase: Dissent is an overlay you invoke when stakes are high.