Quick reference

Factory failure diagnostic

A factory fails when its fast feedback rewards output while its delayed feedback hides damage.

Ask four questions

  1. Reward: What observable signal tells the agent it succeeded?
  2. Blind spot: What important quality is absent from that signal?
  3. Delay: When will the missing quality become costly?
  4. Steering: Where can a human cheaply catch it before code volume multiplies?
Canonical pattern
Tests pass now → design debt is invisible → future changes spread → diagnosis and repair erase the throughput gain.

Use automation confidently when

The task is bounded, the verifier closely matches the real outcome, failure is reversible, and the diff is cheap to inspect.

Increase human steering when

The change establishes patterns, crosses subsystem boundaries, has delayed failure modes, or produces a large diff before anything can be exercised.