Apply Simple Rules First

Do the deterministic work first, and let one condition short-circuit the rest.

See the situation

Start with the situation below. Next, we will work through an example together before you try the activity.

Maya · Decision designer

The case

Below-threshold company, strong use-case fit

Use deterministic checks for clearly stated rules. Consider interpretation only for inputs that actually require judgment.

Company scale: Below the threshold GTM Lab sells to
Use-case fit: Excellent
Message tone: Obvious enthusiasm, specific problem
Model verdict: Route to a seller, well argued
The threshold was: A rule, not a suggestion to weigh

Your task

Choose which check runs first. Read the trace and decide whether the separate restriction still blocks the action.

Need a little guidance?

You’re done when: Deterministic checks run where the policy is explicit; ambiguous evidence remains bounded and reviewable.

Models should not replace cheap, inspectable rules.

Need a reminder? Reopen the worked example

Watch one example first

A verified revenue value can be checked against a stated threshold without interpreting prose. An ambiguous request may need reading. An independent contact restriction still blocks sending even when both checks are positive.

Why this follows from the evidence

Choose the method for the evidence: explicit comparison for an explicit rule, narrow interpretation for ambiguous meaning. A high score is not an authorization override.

GTM Lab

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Decision workbench

Trace a bounded decision sequence

Your task: Compare two evaluation orders while preserving an independent blocking restriction. Use the same record for both traces.

Which non-mandatory step runs first in your comparison?

A separate authorized restriction is active. What does the trace do?

Prepared trace · mandatory restriction activeFollow the example events in time order. No live integration runs here.

1
Independent mandatory restriction
Blocks · The stated restriction blocks the action regardless of a positive score or interpretation.
Blocked
2
Checkable rule
Skipped · The mandatory restriction already blocks the action; later steps cannot override it.
Not evaluated
3
Interpretive read
Skipped · The mandatory restriction already blocks the action; later steps cannot override it.
Not evaluated

The trace is a finite example. It does not call a model or execute a workflow.

Practice draft restores when you return.

Case evidence

Below-threshold company, strong use-case fit

Company scale: Below the threshold GTM Lab sells to
Use-case fit: Excellent
Message tone: Obvious enthusiasm, specific problem
Model verdict: Route to a seller, well argued
The threshold was: A rule, not a suggestion to weigh

In this example, a model sees the whole qualification record and reasons past a threshold the team intended to make mandatory. The fluent rationale makes the boundary failure harder to spot.

Review or edit the saved decision-design sections

The workbench above is the main practice. These optional sections let you draft the contract directly; each section gives feedback before the chapter check.

Work the case · 0 of 3 sections drafted

Put the rules in front

Compare these alternatives one section at a time. Check a choice to see its consequence; the draft summary below keeps the proposed changes together.

Step 1 of 3

Why should the deterministic rules run before anything interpretive?

Non-negotiable criteria stay non-negotiable, and the model gets a smaller, cleaner questionIt is cheaper and fasterDeterministic rules are more accurate

This is a proposed draft until the chapter check runs. Selecting a choice alone does not complete the chapter.

2b · Proposed

Decision design draft

Decision design draft · current draftCompare the original state with the proposed change. This preview does not change live records.

Decision design draft · current draft
Item	Before	Proposed	Why
Why should the deterministic rules run before anything interpretive?	No saved change in this exercise draft	Not drafted yet	Choose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
A meeting is on the calendar for a future date. What should the engagement score do?	No saved change in this exercise draft	Not drafted yet	Choose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
Deterministic, model-only, and the two combined. What decides which design a given decision needs?	No saved change in this exercise draft	Not drafted yet	Choose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.

Why should the deterministic rules run before anything interpretive?: BeforeNo saved change in this exercise draft; ProposedNot drafted yet; WhyChoose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
A meeting is on the calendar for a future date. What should the engagement score do?: BeforeNo saved change in this exercise draft; ProposedNot drafted yet; WhyChoose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
Deterministic, model-only, and the two combined. What decides which design a given decision needs?: BeforeNo saved change in this exercise draft; ProposedNot drafted yet; WhyChoose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.

A choice appears here as a proposal, not as evidence that a live system changed.

Your place saves as you go.

Chapter 2 of 80 complete