Apply when integrating a new requirement into an existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been a foundational assumption from day one, instead of bolting it on.

Redesign From First Principles When integrating a change, don't bolt it onto the existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been a foundational assumption from the start. Read all affected files and understand the current design Ask: "if we were writing this from scratch with this new requirement, what would we build?" Propagate the change through every reference: types, docs, examples, rationale sections Think about the whole redesign, then deliver it incrementally This is the method for preserving option value when integrating changes into an existing design.

principle-redesign-from-first-principles