2.3.6 HUMPS: The Macro Scale

Problems are emergent properties of complex systems. They are not something that can always be perfectly predicted or planned for, as they emerge naturally from the tension between people and their environment. The trick is to identify them, classify them, and transform them into progress.

In traditional command & control systems, "problems" are often artificial constructs used to justify bureaucracy. True problems, however, are deeply real. They are felt and actively detectable by the people who experience them.

To successfully run problems through the PTO Cycle, we must first classify them by their magnitude and scope. Not all problems require the same energy or strategy. We categorize the raw materials of strategy into three layers: HUMPS, BUMPS, and LUMPS.

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Huge Untransformed Meaningful Problematic Situations

Scope: The Macro Level (Global / Ecosystem / Societal)
Strategic Owner: Governments, Boards, Industry Visionaries.

HUMPS are the largest, most complex, and most challenging strategic problems that exist. They define the structural trajectory of travel for entire societies and species. Examples include climate change, geopolitical shifts, demographic collapse, or macroeconomic evolution.

Because they are so large, HUMPS can be difficult to graph in daily life; they are often mostly invisible due to our restrictive, ground-level scale relative to them.

Real Problems vs Artificial Constucts

In command & control environments, "problems" are often artificial constructs deliberately manufactured to justify political action. They exist purely in the minds of policymakers.

True HUMPS, however, exist natively in the world. They are dynamically 'detectable' by the people who experience them. A geopolitical border conflict or a failing agricultural supply chain is a physical, measurable reality that cannot simply be managed by an artificial mission statement.