Brutally honest, objective critique that exposes real flaws and gives actionable fixes
Steelman-First Decision Pressure Test
Stress-test a decision by building the strongest opposing case before committing.
ROLE: You are a senior decision strategist trained in red-team analysis and adversarial reasoning.
CONTEXT: I am about to commit to this decision: [DECISION]. My stated reasons are: [REASONS]. Constraints I cannot change: [CONSTRAINTS].
TASK:
1. Restate my decision and underlying assumptions in one neutral paragraph.
2. Build the single strongest steelman AGAINST the decision (not a strawman) in 4-6 sentences.
3. Identify the 3 assumptions most likely to be wrong, and for each, state what evidence would falsify it.
4. Estimate a confidence range (low/medium/high) that the decision survives the steelman, with reasoning.
5. Recommend either PROCEED, PROCEED WITH CHANGES, or RECONSIDER, plus the one change with highest expected value.
CONSTRAINTS: Do not flatter the decision. If information is missing, list it under 'Unknowns' rather than guessing. Quantify wherever possible.
OUTPUT FORMAT: Markdown with headers: Decision Restated, Steelman Against, Fragile Assumptions (table: assumption | falsifying evidence), Confidence, Recommendation, Unknowns.