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Fail on Paper First
Table of Contents
Before you commit, imagine the launch failed - name why, then fix the plan while rollback is cheap.
Key Concept
- Fail on paper first is counting cost before the wall stops mid-air - failure on paper beats surprise in production.
- Level 1: Like asking what would make this birthday party flop before you send invites - cheaper to fix on the whiteboard than in tears Saturday.
- Level 2: The room assumes the project died - list causes, then patch the plan before anyone ships.
- Level 3: Count the Cost is Jesus' version for discipleship vows - same honesty before the public yes.
- Level 4: Pairs with Reversibility and Rollback Principle - failing on paper first asks what triggers the revert before users feel pain.
- Level 5: Decision Quality rises when cost and failure modes are visible before ego attaches to the launch.
- Risk Management without failing on paper first is optimism wearing a spreadsheet.
Examples
- Before we passed the static site to the client we listed three ways they would call angry - fixed DNS docs and scope line before go-live, not after.
- Team assumed the tournament format failed - whiteboard showed scheduling was the killer; we moved pools before registration opened.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | Ship It | when ship-now beats fail-on-paper first |
| alternative | Count the Cost | Faith lane names honest cost before vows |
| extends | Decision Quality | Visible failure modes improve the call |
| extends | Reversibility | Failing on paper first designs the undo before the commit |
| extends | Risk Management | Named risks beat hoped-away risks |
| extends | Rollback Principle | Know the revert trigger before deploy |
