2.3 Specification Setup

The second stage of Ackoff's Idealized Design is the Specification of Properties. Once the mission is established, we must define the precise theoretical characteristics, laws, and semantic inputs the system requires to function.

To do this rigorously, Bumponomics utilizes Werner Ulrich’s Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH).

CSH dictates that it is mathematically impossible to consider every aspect of a complex situation; therefore, every system design inevitably includes some elements while excluding others. CSH forces us to make these "boundary judgments" explicit by asking 12 questions structured across four domains (in the normative "Ought" mode).

Before we catalog the raw physical inputs of the system (HUMPS, BUMPS, LUMPS), the following chapters will explicitly answer Ulrich's four boundary conditions for the Bumponomics operating system:

1. Sources of Motivation
2. Sources of Power
3. Sources of Knowledge
4. Sources of Legitimacy