Getting Started with Fogsift
Welcome to the Fogsift knowledge base. This wiki contains documentation, concepts, frameworks, and field notes from our consulting work.
What is Fogsift?
Fogsift provides independent consulting for complex, ambiguous problems. We specialize in:
- Root Cause Analysis: Tracing symptoms back to their source
- System Diagnostics: Understanding how components interact
- Strategic Clarity: Cutting through organizational fog
How to Use This Wiki
Documentation
Practical guides and how-to content. Start here if you want to understand our methods.
- Getting Started - You are here
- How We Work - Our approach and engagement types
- The Diagnostic Process - Step-by-step investigation method
- FAQ - Frequently asked questions
Concepts
Deep dives into the mental models and ideas that inform our work.
- Root Cause Analysis - Finding the source, not the symptom
- Mental Models - Frameworks for understanding reality
- Systems Thinking - Seeing interconnections
- Cognitive Biases - Thinking traps to avoid
- Second-Order Effects - Consequences of consequences
- Signal vs Noise - Finding meaning in data
Frameworks
Structured approaches for common diagnostic challenges.
- The TRACE Protocol - Our systematic investigation method
- Decision Matrix - Evaluating options objectively
- Constraint Mapping - Understanding what limits solutions
- Feedback Loop Analysis - Finding circular causation
Field Notes
Real observations from client engagements (anonymized). Raw insights from the field.
- The Map Is Not The Territory - Org charts vs reality
- Precision vs Accuracy - Different problems, different fixes
- Entropy - Chaos is the default
- Finding the Bottleneck - Where to focus improvement
- Tribal Knowledge - The danger of undocumented expertise
- Incentive Alignment - Behavior follows rewards
- Documentation Debt - The cost of not writing things down
Case Studies
In-depth examples of diagnostic engagements (anonymized).
- Manufacturing Throughput Crisis - Finding the invisible bottleneck
- The Communication Breakdown - Scaling organizational infrastructure
- The Invisible Process - Making hidden work visible
Tools & Techniques
Specific methods for investigation and analysis.
- The Five Whys - Drilling to root cause
- Fishbone Diagrams - Mapping possible causes
- Pareto Analysis - Finding the vital few
- Process Mapping - Visualizing how work flows
Where to Start
New to diagnostic thinking? Start with Mental Models, then read the Field Notes for practical examples.
Have a specific problem? Look at The Diagnostic Process and the TRACE Protocol.
Want to learn tools? Start with The Five Whys and Process Mapping.
Need Help?
If you have a weird question that doesn't fit in a standard box, use the Weird Question Hotline.