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A rule is five decisions

The what is the first of the five, and the root of the rest: it is the deed itself, and the how, the when, the why, and the who are all ways of shaping that deed. So a rule begins with its what.

A rule reads as one short statement, but to design it is to make five decisions, not one. The statement "the customer is informed using the template after the work is done" looks single, yet folded inside it are five separate choices: the deed to be done, the manner it is done in, the moment it happens, the reason it is required, and the one it falls to. The what, the how, the when, the why, and the who. Each was decided. Together they are the rule.

Seeing the five is what separates designing a rule from merely stating one. Anyone can write "inform the customer." The Designer asks the five questions that turn that loose intention into a rule that holds: done how, at what moment, for what reason, by whom. Until those are answered, there is no rule, only a wish. Once they are answered and fixed, the rule is complete: it will be carried out the same way, at the same point, by the right person, for a reason anyone can know. The five dimensions are the anatomy of every rule, and the Designer's work is to set each one with care.

This discipline lays the five out together, so you can see the whole shape of a rule at once. The disciplines that follow take four of them deeper, one at a time, the how, the when, the why, and the who, each with its own demands and its own ways of going wrong. Here the task is to hold all five in view together, because a rule is designed as a whole, not as five separate parts bolted on. You decide the deed, and in the same breath how it is done, when, why, and by whom. The five are one act of design.

The highest possible standard is to see every rule as five decisions held together, the what, the how, the when, the why, and the who, and to design all five as one act rather than stating a deed and leaving the rest to chance.

Key Takeaway: A rule reads as one statement but is five decisions: the deed (what), the manner (how), the moment (when), the reason (why), and the one it falls to (who). Seeing the five is what separates designing a rule from merely stating one, until they are answered and fixed, there is only a wish, not a rule. This discipline holds all five together; the disciplines that follow take four of them deeper. A rule is designed as a whole, the five as one act.

A rule reads as one statement but is five decisions, made as one act.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Section: A rule is five decisions

MarvinPro | June 2026

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The deed and its manner

The first two dimensions are the closest pair: the what and the how, the deed and the manner it is done in. The what is the action the rule is about, inform the customer. It is the simplest of the five to name and the easiest to take for granted, yet it must still be decided, because choosing which deed the rule governs is itself a design choice. A rule that says "inform the customer" governs one deed; it does not govern how the case is logged or when the refund is paid. The what draws the rule's boundary: this deed, and not the others.

The how is the manner the deed is done in, and it is where most of a rule's force lives. To say "inform the customer" is to name the deed; to say "inform the customer using the template" is to fix how, and the how is what makes the deed repeatable and safe. Use the template, in the set wording, in the set tone. The how turns a loose action that each person would do differently into one done the same way every time. Where the what says what happens, the how says it happens this way and no other, and that fixing is most of what a rule is for.

The what names the deed within the doing of the work, and it carries the one who does it, the deed and its doer are not fully separable, which is why the who, treated later, is already implied here. But the manner is its own decision. A Designer can keep the same deed and change the how entirely, inform the customer by template, or inform them in a free call, and produce two very different rules from one deed. So the what and the how, though close, are two choices: which deed, and in what manner. Decide both, and the visible core of the rule is set.

The highest possible standard is to decide the deed the rule governs and the manner it is done in as two distinct choices, drawing the rule's boundary with the what and fixing its force with the how, so the deed is done the same way every time.

Key Takeaway: The what and the how are the closest pair: the deed and the manner it is done in. The what names the action and draws the rule's boundary, this deed, not the others, and though simple, it is still a design choice. The how fixes the manner, and is where most of a rule's force lives: it turns a loose action into one done the same way every time. The same deed with a different how is a different rule, so both are decided.

Same deed, different how, different rule.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Section: The deed and its manner

MarvinPro | June 2026

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The moment and the one it falls to

The next two dimensions place the rule in the running of the work: the when and the who. The when is the moment the deed is triggered, the point at which the rule fires. A rule does not float free in the process; it happens at a place. Inform the customer after the first contact, or once a part of the work is done, or when the work is complete. The when is what ties the rule to that point, and it is more than timing: it is the trigger, the condition that sets the deed off, a prior step finishing, an event occurring, a time arriving. Chain the triggers of many rules and the order of the process appears, each rule firing when its moment comes. The when is taken deeper in its own discipline; here it is enough to see that every rule has one, and that a rule with no settled moment will fire at the wrong time or never.

The who is the one the deed falls to, the person or team that carries the rule out. Inform the customer, yes, but by whom, Support, the Back Office, the partner? The who is a real decision, because the same deed assigned to a different doer is a different design: a message sent by Support at first contact is not the message sent by the Back Office at completion, even if the deed, inform the customer, is the same. At the altitude of the rule, the who names the kind of doer, the team that owns that point of the work. Exactly which role, on which system, performs it is pinned down later, where the rules are laid against the people and the tools that carry them (coming in Systems). Here, the Designer decides whose deed it is.

Together the when and the who locate the rule in the live work: at this moment, this doer acts. A rule with a clear deed and manner but no settled moment or doer is still incomplete, it will be done well, by someone, at some point, none of which the Designer chose. To fix the when and the who is to say not only what is done and how, but exactly where in the flow it happens and on whose hands it falls.

The highest possible standard is to fix the moment the rule fires and the one it falls to, the when as the trigger that sets the deed off, the who as the doer it belongs to, so the rule acts at the right point on the right hands rather than at a time and by a person left to chance.

Key Takeaway: The when and the who place the rule in the running work. The when is the trigger that fires the deed, a prior step finishing, an event, a time, and chaining triggers across rules produces the order of the process. The who is the one the deed falls to; the same deed assigned to a different doer is a different design. At the rule's altitude the who names the kind of doer; which exact role on which system is pinned later (coming in Systems). Fix both, and the rule is located in the flow.

The when fires the deed; the who carries it.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Section: The moment and the one it falls to

MarvinPro | June 2026

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The reason that holds the rest

The fifth dimension is unlike the other four. The what, the how, the when, and the who all direct the work, they say what is done, in what manner, at what moment, by whom. The why directs no one. It explains. It is the reason the rule exists: so that every customer receives the same clear word, so that the legal wording is never wrong, so that no one is informed too early or too late. The why does not tell anyone to do anything. It tells anyone who asks why the rest is as it is.

It would be easy to treat the why as lesser for this, an optional note, nice to have, safe to drop when time is short. That is a mistake, and the Designer does not make it. The why is set with the same care as the other four, because a designer, like a good leader, explains. The reason for a rule is not decoration; it is what lets the rule be owned, defended, and changed. A rule whose reason is written down can be questioned and upheld at sign-off, returned to and safely changed when the work changes, and trusted by those who follow it because they can see the point of it. A rule whose reason is lost can be none of these. It becomes a thing people obey without understanding, guarded superstitiously or broken carelessly, because no one knows what it was protecting.

So the why is equal, not because it directs, but because without it the other four cannot be safely held over time. The deed, the manner, the moment, and the doer are the rule in action; the reason is the rule's memory of itself. Design the four and leave the fifth unwritten, and you have a rule that works today and cannot be trusted tomorrow. Design all five, and you have a rule that holds, one whose every part can be explained to the person who must follow it, the one who must approve it, and the Designer who must one day change it.

The highest possible standard is to design the why with the same care as the directing four, writing the reason down, because a rule whose reason is known can be owned, defended, and changed, while a rule whose reason is lost can be none of these.

Key Takeaway: The why is unlike the other four: they direct the work, the why explains it. It is easy to treat as lesser and drop, but the Designer does not, because a designer, like a good leader, explains. The reason is what lets a rule be owned, defended at sign-off, and safely changed; a rule whose reason is lost is obeyed without understanding, guarded or broken blindly. The why is equal not because it directs but because without it the other four cannot be safely held over time.

The why directs no one; it explains. It is the rule's memory of itself.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Section: The reason that holds the rest

MarvinPro | June 2026

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Designing the five as one

The five dimensions are named separately so they can be seen clearly, but they are not designed separately. A rule is one decision with five faces, and the faces are decided together. When the Owner decides customers will be informed by template, the deed, the manner, the moment, the doer, and the reason are settled in nearly the same breath: inform the customer (what), by template (how), at this point in the process (when), by this team (who), so the word is always the same (why). To split them apart in the designing would be to lose the rule; they hold together because they were chosen together.

This matters because the five constrain each other. Change one and the others may have to move. Change the when, send the message at first contact rather than at completion, and the who may change with it, Support rather than Back Office, and the how may change too, a different template for a different moment. The dimensions are not independent dials; they are five aspects of a single, coherent decision, and a good rule is one in which all five agree. A rule whose deed suits one moment but whose doer belongs to another, or whose manner fits one reason but whose trigger serves a different one, is a rule at war with itself, and it will show in use.

So the discipline of the five is not to set five separate things but to make one decision that is right in all five respects at once. The Designer holds the deed, the manner, the moment, the reason, and the doer in view together and chooses them so they fit. That is what it means to design a rule rather than to assemble one. The disciplines that follow will sharpen each dimension on its own, but the skill they serve is this one: to design all five as a single, coherent rule. Hold that, and every rule you make will be whole.

The highest possible standard is to design the five dimensions as one coherent decision rather than five separate settings, choosing the deed, manner, moment, reason, and doer so that all five agree, so the rule holds together rather than works against itself.

Key Takeaway: The five dimensions are named separately but designed together: a rule is one decision with five faces, settled in nearly the same breath. They constrain each other, change the when and the who or how may have to move, so they are not independent dials but five aspects of one coherent choice. A good rule is one in which all five agree; a rule whose dimensions pull against each other is at war with itself. The discipline is to design all five as a single, coherent rule.

The five are named apart but designed as one.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Section: Designing the five as one

MarvinPro | June 2026

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A real example

Take that same rule, customers are informed using email templates, and stand it still for a moment. Stated plainly, it is one rule. Designed honestly, it is five decisions made together, and looking at them one by one shows how the five dimensions live inside a single rule.

The what is the deed: inform the customer. The how is the manner: by template, in fixed wording and a fixed tone, so the same word goes out the same way every time. The when is the moment, and here the one rule holds three: a message after the first contact, a message once a certain part of the work is done, and a message when the case is resolved. The who is the doer, and it changes with the moment: Support sends the first message, the Back Office sends the other two. Exactly which Performer on which system sends each is a matter for later, where rules are laid against people and tools (coming in Systems); at the level of the rule, it is enough that Support owns the first message and the Back Office the rest. And the why is the reason that holds all of it together: that every customer receive the same clear word, in the same tone, at each step, rather than a different message, or none, from whoever happens to be handling the case.

What makes this a designed rule and not an assembled one is that the five fit. The manner suits the reason, a fixed template serves consistency. The doer suits the moment, Support owns first contact, the Back Office owns the later work. The reason justifies the whole, and can be given, in a line, to anyone who asks: so that every customer hears the same thing. Had the dimensions disagreed, a template too rigid for a moment that needed a human call, or a doer who did not own the point where the message fell, the rule would have strained in use. Instead the five agreed, and the rule held. And because they were written down, every part of it could be explained later: to the Performers who send the messages, to the Owner who approves a change, and to the Designer who one day adjusts it.

A rule is whole when its five dimensions fit, and written down when its reason can be told.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · A real example

MarvinPro | June 2026

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What

A rule reads as one statement but is five decisions: the what, the deed; the how, the manner it is done in; the when, the moment it is triggered; the why, the reason it is required; and the who, the one it falls to. Seeing the five is what separates designing a rule from merely stating one. This discipline holds them together; the disciplines that follow take four of them deeper, each on its own.

The what and the how are the closest pair, the deed and its manner. The what names the action and draws the rule's boundary; the how fixes the manner and carries most of the rule's force, turning a loose action into one done the same way every time. The when and the who place the rule in the running work: the when is the trigger that fires the deed, a step finishing, an event, a time, and chaining triggers gives the process its order; the who is the doer the deed falls to, named here as the kind of doer, pinned to an exact role and system later (coming in Systems). And the why is unlike the other four: it directs no one, it explains. It is set with the same care, because a designer, like a good leader, explains, and because the reason is what lets a rule be owned, defended, and safely changed, while a rule whose reason is lost can be none of these.

Above all, the five are designed as one. They are named apart so they can be seen, but a rule is a single decision with five faces, and the faces constrain each other: change the moment and the doer or the manner may have to move with it. A good rule is one in which all five agree; a rule whose dimensions pull against each other is at war with itself and will show it in use. So the discipline is not to set five separate things but to make one coherent decision that is right in all five respects at once.

You now have the whole shape of a rule in view. It is five decisions, held together: the deed, its manner, its moment, its reason, and the one it falls to, all designed as one. The disciplines that follow take four of them in turn, the how, the when, the why, and the who, each deeper and on its own, so that you can design each with the care it deserves. But the skill they serve is the one set here: to hold all five together, and make of them a single rule that is whole.

A rule is five decisions with five faces, designed as one.

MarvinPro · PROCESS · Here is How to Build · Design · Rules · Discipline 2: What · Chapter Outcome

MarvinPro | June 2026

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