Brett Ferguson

Exceptions Become the Operating Model Before Anyone Notices

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 22/09/2026

Recurring exceptions reveal the constraints a standard operating model no longer represents, pushing routine work into manual overrides, private knowledge, and workarounds.

operational exceptionsconstraint visibilityoperating modelmanual workaroundsprocess compliancecustomer complexityoperational scaling

Operational Debt Behaves Differently Than Technical Debt

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 08/09/2026

Operational debt compounds through decisions, dependencies, and human workarounds, leaving organizations increasingly unstable as scale and execution pressure increase.

operational debttechnical debtadaptation capacityexecution frictionorganizational instabilityoperational complexityorganizational coordination

Some government friction is there on purpose

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 31/08/2026

What the U.S. constitutional system can teach us about coordination: why distributed authority, dependencies, and constraints can create necessary friction rather than dysfunction.

coordination systemsorganizational designdecision authorityconstraint visibilityfailure containmentchecks and balancesseparation of powersorganizational frictioncoordination contractsadaptation capacityU.S. governmentconstitutional designRecursive Coordination Theory

Scaling Reveals the Decisions Nobody Actually Owns

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 25/08/2026

Growth exposes decision authority that was never clearly assigned, turning implied ownership into delayed decisions, escalation confusion, and operational paralysis.

decision authorityorganizational scalingdecision ownershipescalation paralysisoperational complexityaccountabilityorganizational coordination