Ideas

Absence is a signal

When an expected result or piece of evidence is missing, record that it is missing, because silence is not proof that things went well.

The idea

When something should have happened and nothing shows up, the easy reading is "nothing to report". That reading is often wrong. It may not have happened at all.

The rule

Record missing evidence out loud. Absence when something was expected is not proof of success.

Examples in Kinesis

• Reviews. If a review did not happen, the Review loop says so instead of passing quietly.
• Proposals. A stretch with no new Plots is a reason to look, not a sign of calm.
• Checks. Command raises a reminder when its checks keep failing.

Why it matters

Failures that make noise get fixed. Failures that make silence can last a long time. Treating silence as a signal turns the second kind into the first.