Think Assumption Reversal

Assumption Reversal

Solutions stay trapped inside the assumptions a problem is stated with. Assumption reversal makes those premises explicit, negates or reverses each, and generates ideas from the reversed world. It is not generic inversion ("how would we cause failure?"); it targets the foundational premises the option space rests on and uses their reversal as an idea generator. The output is an assumptions-and-reversals sheet ending in a shortlist. Reversed assumptions are candidates to explore, not recommendations.

When to Use

• An option space feels stuck inside default constraints.
• The obvious solutions all seem to share a hidden premise.
• Early divergent exploration, when breadth matters more than convergence.

When NOT to Use

• When the binding constraints are genuinely fixed (regulatory, physical) and cannot be reversed in reality.
• When you need to converge and choose (use a decision skill).
• As a source of recommendations (it produces candidates, not decisions).
• If it would only reverse trivial, cosmetic assumptions.

Instructions

When asked to run assumption reversal, follow these steps:

1. State the problem or solution in one line.
2. Surface the foundational assumptions. List the load-bearing premises it rests on (business model, user, channel, sequence, who pays, what is required). Push for the ones so basic they are usually unspoken.
3. Reverse each. Negate or invert the assumption ("what if the opposite were true?").
4. Generate from the reversal. For each reversed assumption, write the ideas it provokes. Keep the ideas genuinely tied to the reversal.
5. Shortlist. Pick the most promising non-obvious ideas to carry forward, and note what would have to be true for each to be viable.
6. Emit the sheet per references/TEMPLATE.md.

Output Format

Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md. The deliverable is the assumptions, reversals, ideas, and shortlist, not prose.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• [ ] The assumptions surfaced are load-bearing, not trivial.
• [ ] Each assumption is genuinely reversed, not just reworded.
• [ ] The ideas are tied to the reversal, not generic.
• [ ] A shortlist of non-obvious ideas is selected, flagged as candidates not decisions.
• [ ] The output is the sheet artifact, not prose.

Evidence

Tier P. Assumption reversal is a recognized divergent-ideation technique from lateral-thinking practice, distinct from inversion. Deliberately challenging default premises broadens the option set, but there is no strong evidence it outperforms other generators, and reversing an assumption does not make the reversal viable. Evidence is transferred from human creativity practice, not AI-validated. Full grading: evidence/dossier.md.

Examples

See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed sheet.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: product-on-purpose
• Source: product-on-purpose/thinking-framework-skills
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://product-on-purpose.github.io/thinking-framework-skills/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.