Q Research

A set of techniques for finding out whether an idea holds up before you build on it. Most people use AI to confirm what they already believe. These techniques are built to do the opposite.

When to use this skill

• You are about to commit significant time or money to something
• You want the fatal flaw found before someone else finds it
• You disagree with a position and want to understand it honestly first
• You are preparing for a conversation where someone will push back hard

Techniques

Adversarial Room

Builds the strongest possible case against your own idea and finds the single assumption that, if wrong, makes everything collapse. Use before you spend time or money, when you suspect you are too attached to the idea to see it clearly.

Premortem

Assumes the project has already failed and works backwards to explain why. The post mortem analysis, run before you start. Use when you feel confident and want the most likely failure modes surfaced, especially on plans with many dependencies.

Steelman

Builds the strongest version of an argument, stronger than the person making it could build themselves. Use when you want to engage with what is actually true in a position rather than the easiest version to dismiss.