When the requirements
are ambiguous.
Ambiguous requirements hide several kinds of uncertainty inside one sentence.
Separate what is known
List the requested outcome, the people affected, hard constraints, acceptance evidence, and deadlines that are actually confirmed.
Expose assumptions
Write each interpretation that would materially change the work. Mark which assumptions are cheap to reverse and which could create harm, cost, or lock-in.
Find the decision owner
Ask the person with authority to resolve high-impact ambiguity. When clarification is unavailable, choose a reversible path, state the assumption, and set a checkpoint.
Define completion evidence
Replace vague adjectives with an observable example, test, threshold, or review. Agreement about evidence often reveals disagreement about the requirement.
Use reflection in its proper place
A new perspective can help you notice an unspoken assumption. It cannot infer stakeholder intent or grant permission to proceed.
Want to examine the assumption underneath it?
A $1 Consultation selects one Teaching at random from the full Founding Canon and saves it privately for 90 days. Your question gives the ritual focus but does not steer the selection.