Overpowered / Find the Exceptions

Core rule

A process is not executable until its material non-happy paths are either defined or explicitly unknown.

Procedure

1. State the current happy-path rule/process in precise terms.
2. Identify its decision variables: amount, role, state, timing, availability, jurisdiction, data quality, dependencies, etc.
3. Generate candidate exceptions using these lenses:
   • boundaries: exactly at thresholds, empty/zero/max values;
   • missing/invalid/duplicate inputs;
   • timing: late, early, concurrent, reordered events;
   • authority: absence, delegation, multiple approvers;
   • lifecycle: cancellation, amendment, retry, rollback;
   • scope: internal/external, special category, jurisdiction;
   • dependency failure: unavailable system/source/person;
   • conflicting rules or precedents.
4. Filter to exceptions that can materially change the outcome.
5. Resolve discoverable facts from available artifacts before asking the user.
6. Convert resolved branches into a decision table/state model.
7. Mark unresolved branches UNKNOWN; do not invent policy.

Output contract

Condition | Expected path | Exception path | Status | Evidence / decision needed

End with:

• newly discovered rules;
• unresolved branches that block automation;
• edge cases that are safe to defer.

Deep reference

Read references/exception-lenses.md for complex processes or when the first pass does not expose enough material branches.

Interaction rule

When user input is required, ask one high-value question at a time. Prefer a recommended/default answer when there is enough context to propose one.

Gotchas

• Do not confuse brainstorming bizarre scenarios with finding material exceptions.
• Do not ask humans for facts the environment can provide.
• Exact-threshold behavior is a common source of automation bugs; make it explicit.
• Exceptions can modify data shape, authority, timing, or failure recovery—not only business rules.

Stop condition

Stop when material branches are defined, deliberately deferred, or explicitly unknown with an owner for resolution.