Define the system and unit of analysis
Specify process, population, product, time window, boundaries and aggregation level. Without a defined unit of analysis, measures and comparisons may represent different phenomena.
TECHNICAL GUIDE · STRUCKEL TOOLS
PES-03 · People
Fact Finder — Facts vs. Interpretations
Separates verifiable observations from interpretations, generalizations and judgments, improving the quality of conversations, diagnoses and decisions.
comunicação · fatos · interpretação · evidênciaFormulários Struckel
01
MANAGEMENT QUESTION
The problem the tool must make decidable.
Before opening a form, define the question that must be answered. A management tool is useful when it reduces ambiguity, exposes assumptions and makes clear which decision will be made from the evidence produced.
PES-03Which part of a statement is observable and verifiable, and which part is inference, judgment or generalization?
People tools should make criteria explicit without turning managerial judgment into false precision. Observable evidence, context and dialogue remain essential to interpret any score or matrix.
Use them for development, alignment, culture, communication and talent decisions, always with transparent criteria and human review.
02
METHOD ARCHITECTURE
Technical construction: from operational definition to evidence.
Analysis tools require discipline to avoid turning the first plausible explanation into a cause. Start with facts, formulate hypotheses and seek evidence that can support or refute each interpretation.
Define criteria before evaluation
Translate abstract concepts into operational definitions, scales, classification rules and data sources. Criteria should exist before the result to reduce retrospective interpretation.
Preserve traceability
Link each conclusion to data, observations, assumptions and owners. When a score is used, retain its components; when a hypothesis is used, record how it will be tested.
The conclusion must be traceable to the reasoning. If a third party cannot understand why the decision follows from the recorded evidence, the analysis needs to be strengthened.
03
WORKED EXAMPLE
How the method behaves in a real situation.
“Sales does not care about margin” is an interpretation. Observable facts might be that 37% of orders had discounts above 8% and margin was not mentioned in 6 of 10 observed meetings. Fact Finder turns accusation into discussable evidence.
The example is intentionally specific. Numbers illustrate the reasoning and are not universal benchmarks: limits, scales and targets must be defined for the process being analyzed.04
MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION
What to observe so the document does not become mere form filling.
Measures should serve reasoning. Whenever possible combine outcome, process and contextual evidence. For time series, look for patterns and variation rather than only point-in-time before/after comparisons.
01observable statements
02source/evidence
03explicit inferences
04testable hypotheses
05decision change
Consistency test
Ask whether another person, using the same definitions and evidence, would reach a similar interpretation. If the answer depends heavily on individual judgment, refine the operational definition, scale or data source.
05
LIMITATIONS AND GOVERNANCE
The tool supports decisions; it does not replace judgment, context and validation.
Operational adaptation of recognized methods. Consistency depends on explicit definitions, criteria, evidence and governance.
Separating fact from interpretation does not eliminate judgment; it makes the inferential leap visible for examination.
Define an owner, review frequency, official data source and condition for reopening the decision. Link actions to deadlines and indicators, hypotheses to tests, and risks to treatment and follow-up.
DefinitionEvidenceInterpretationDecisionReview
06
METHODOLOGICAL BASIS
References for deeper study of the method.
The references below support the methodological family or principle used. Struckel’s digital implementation operationalizes application, documentation and traceability; it does not change the conceptual limits of the original sources.
ARGYRIS
Open reference Argyris C. Teaching Smart People How to Learn. Harvard Business Review. 1991;69(3):99–109.
EDMONDSON
Open reference Edmondson A. Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly. 1999;44(2):350–383.
USE IT IN PRACTICE
Turn the method into a document ready for real work.
Struckel Forms offers a free way to structure this methodology with guided fields, contextual help and print/PDF preparation. Use the tool to organize reasoning; use consulting when the challenge requires design, implementation, facilitation or executive follow-up.