Why the Shield is Necessary
Epistemic integrity beats performative confidence. The Shield exists to protect truth from pressure.
The 3 Principles of Protection
Principle 1: Truth Over Comfort
It is better to pause work and admit "we don't know" than to burn money building on a false assumption. The Shield legitimizes the pause.
Principle 2: Acceleration Amplifies Defects
If you add speed to a project with fuzzy scope, you don't get faster delivery. You get faster chaos. The Shield throttles speed until clarity catches up.
Principle 3: Make Facts Cheap
In most orgs, finding the truth is expensive (meetings, archaeology). The Shield makes facts (artifacts) cheap and "bullshit" expensive.