The Four Columns

Use the four columns before touching the fix. Name whether a break belongs to gradient, system, user, or world, then choose the repair that matches the column.

The Problem

Wrong-column fixes are catastrophic. A system problem treated like a user discipline problem becomes shame. A world constraint treated like a code bug becomes churn.

The Solution

This workshop teaches the four-column diagnostic, then applies it to one real break before anyone touches the fix. Name the column first; choose the repair second.

You will: study the concept, bring or inspect one real artifact, run the workshop exercise, and leave with a postmortem-backed guardrail.

Course 205 — $20

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The four-column diagnostic: when your AI agent breaks, check four things before fixing. (1) Gradient — is the RLHF current pushing the agent to solve forward instead of pausing? That needs a rule. (2) Infrastructure — is a file missing, stale, or overwritten? That needs an edit. (3) Platform — did an update change how files are injected or compacted? That needs config. (4) Operator — is the instruction unclear? That needs a question. Wrong diagnosis makes everything worse. Gradient problems filed as rules. Infrastructure problems fixed in files. Platform problems adjusted in config. Operator problems clarified with the human.