Thinking Frameworks

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Structured analytical frameworks for deep analysis. Use for decision-making, first principles, and kaizen/PDCA continuous improvement.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
ProductivityIntermediate
7/25/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurf
#decision-making#mental-models#root-cause-analysis#kaizen#prioritization

Recommended for

Automated summary

This skill applies structured analytical frameworks (first principles, inversion, pre-mortem, 5 Whys, Eisenhower matrix, kaizen/PDCA) to a problem or decision the user brings.

Strengths

  • Seven frameworks with numbered, directly applicable steps
  • A combination guide mapping frameworks to problem types (risk, debugging, strategy, prioritization)
  • Extended kaizen/PDCA coverage via references/kaizen.md (Gemba, Value Stream Mapping, A3 Report)
  • Multilingual triggers, including Russian, for deep-analysis requests

Limitations

  • No validation or scoring of the resulting analysis: output quality depends on the context the user supplies
  • Full kaizen depth requires loading references/kaizen.md separately
  • Saving insights via vector_memory is optional and relies on an external tool that may not be available
When to use it

Use it when an ambiguous decision, risk assessment or recurring problem needs structured breakdown rather than an immediate answer.

When not to use it

Avoid it for simple factual questions or tasks that require running code rather than structured reasoning.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score84/100

Pure methodology/prompting content describing analytical frameworks (First Principles, Inversion, Pre-mortem, 5 Whys, Eisenhower, Kaizen/PDCA). No declared tools, no shell commands, no network calls, no file or secret access, no obfuscation or safety-disabling instructions. The only execution-adjacent mention is an optional 'vector_memory' save and a reference to a local markdown file, both benign.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Risk pre-mortem
Run a pre-mortem on our Q3 migration to a new billing provider — assume it's six months from now and the project failed. List the top failure modes, rank them by likelihood x impact, and give a mitigation plan.
Root cause with 5 Whys
Our CI pipeline fails intermittently at the deploy step. Walk me through 5 Whys to reach the root cause instead of patching the symptom.
Kaizen sur le processus de revue
Примени кайдзен и PDCA к процессу код-ревью: найди waste (muda), предложи небольшие инкрементальные улучшения и оформи их как A3 Report.

name: thinking-frameworks description: Structured thinking frameworks for deep analysis. Use when user asks to "проанализируй", "фреймворк", "think deeper", "first principles", or needs structured decision-making. Also covers kaizen / кайдзен / PDCA / continuous improvement — оптимизация процессов, устранение waste (muda), Gemba, A3 Report (режим 7, ex-skill kaizen → references/kaizen.md).

Thinking Frameworks

Apply structured analytical frameworks to any problem. Pick the most relevant framework(s) or let the user choose.

Available Frameworks

1. First Principles Thinking

Break down to fundamental truths, then rebuild.

1. IDENTIFY the problem/assumption
2. BREAK DOWN to basic truths (what do we KNOW for certain?)
3. CHALLENGE each assumption — "Why do we believe this?"
4. REBUILD from scratch — what solution emerges from fundamentals?

2. Inversion

Think backwards from failure.

1. STATE the goal
2. INVERT — "How could this FAIL spectacularly?"
3. LIST all failure modes
4. FLIP each failure into a prevention strategy

3. Pre-mortem Analysis

Imagine the project already failed. Why?

1. "It's 6 months from now. The project FAILED."
2. Write down WHY it failed (independently, without bias)
3. COLLECT all failure reasons
4. PRIORITIZE by likelihood x impact
5. CREATE mitigation plan for top risks

4. Second-Order Effects

Think beyond immediate consequences.

1. STATE the decision/action
2. FIRST ORDER — What happens immediately?
3. SECOND ORDER — What does that cause?
4. THIRD ORDER — And then what?
5. MAP positive and negative cascades

5. 5 Whys (Root Cause Analysis)

Dig to the real cause.

1. STATE the problem
2. WHY did this happen? -> Answer 1
3. WHY Answer 1? -> Answer 2
4. WHY Answer 2? -> Answer 3
5. WHY Answer 3? -> Answer 4
6. WHY Answer 4? -> ROOT CAUSE
7. FIX the root cause, not the symptoms

Расширенный шаблон + разобранный пример → references/kaizen.md (секция 5 Whys Analysis). Это единственный канон шагов; вторую версию не плодить.

6. Eisenhower Matrix

Prioritize by urgency x importance.

         | URGENT        | NOT URGENT     |
---------|---------------|----------------|
IMPORTANT| DO NOW        | SCHEDULE       |
         | (crisis,      | (planning,     |
         |  deadlines)   |  growth)       |
---------|---------------|----------------|
NOT      | DELEGATE      | ELIMINATE      |
IMPORTANT| (interrupts,  | (time wasters, |
         |  some emails) |  busywork)     |

7. Kaizen / PDCA (Continuous Improvement)

Маленькие инкрементальные улучшения процесса: PLAN → DO → CHECK → ACT; устранение 7 типов waste (muda); Gemba — наблюдай процесс на месте; закрепляй успех стандартизацией. Полное тело (Kaizen Event, Value Stream Mapping, Gemba Walk, A3 Report, Daily Kaizen, метрики) → references/kaizen.md.

How to Use

  1. User describes a problem or decision
  2. Select 1-2 most relevant frameworks
  3. Walk through the framework step by step
  4. Deliver structured analysis with clear conclusions
  5. Optionally save insights via vector_memory

Combination Guide

  • Strategic decisions: First Principles + Second-Order Effects
  • Risk assessment: Pre-mortem + Inversion
  • Debugging: 5 Whys + First Principles
  • Task management: Eisenhower + Second-Order Effects

From the file to a first result

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Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/thinking-frameworks' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8' '.claude/skills/thinking-frameworks'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/thinking-frameworks' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/thinking-frameworks-mrzxuri8' '.cursor/skills/thinking-frameworks'

OpenSkills

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Official OpenSkills installation
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