The change model
Every improvement is proposed at all five levels, cheapest and most reversible first, so the choice between a title test and a new information product is made deliberately rather than by whichever idea arrived first.
The system is observed without changing its structure.
Surface elements change while the object and mechanism stay mostly stable.
The document or campaign is substantially improved, but its role remains stable.
Relationships, architecture, ownership, or workflow change.
The class of solution changes.
START at Baseline.
IF diagnosis is high-confidence
AND minor intervention can affect the mechanism
THEN test Minor.
ELSE IF page value exists
AND information or format is inadequate
THEN apply Major.
ELSE IF multiple assets or systems create the failure
THEN apply Structural.
ELSE IF the result class itself cannot satisfy the task
OR a new information product creates a defensible advantage
THEN test Paradigm.A change is not fully described until all ten are named.
CHANGE
=
OBJECT
UNDER CONDITIONS
PERFORMS ACTION
USING TOOLS
WITH RESOURCES
TO PRODUCE OUTCOMES
OBSERVED_BY FEEDBACK
LIMITED_BY CONSTRAINTS
CREATING VALUE
WHILE MONITORING FAILURE_MODEHow a change behaves over time, not just what it is.
| Variable | Suggested states |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | negligible, small, medium, large, transformational |
| Rate | immediate, fast, gradual, slow, unknown |
| Direction | positive, negative, mixed, neutral |
| Scope | element, page, cluster, template, site, market |
| Depth | copy, behavior, document, architecture, business model |
| Duration | transient, campaign, persistent, permanent |
| Frequency | once, periodic, event-driven, continuous |
| Acceleration | decaying, linear, compounding, volatile |
| Variability | low, moderate, high, unknown |
| Detectability | direct, proxy, modeled, latent |
| Reversibility | easy, moderate, difficult, irreversible |
| Propagation | isolated, linked, template-wide, site-wide, ecosystem |
| Amplification | none, internal graph, external citations, brand, network |
| Accumulation | none, episodic, stock-building, compounding |