Goal Decomposition Methodology

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Overview

A methodology for decomposing abstract goals into specific, actionable components while preserving important information about dimensions, tradeoffs, and constraints.

The problem with naive decomposition: “Make the world better” becomes “Make people happier” - this loses almost everything. What does “better” mean? Better for whom? In what dimension? At what cost? Who decides?

Good decomposition preserves information, not destroys it. You should be able to trace from any action back to why it serves the original goal, through explicit reasoning, without hidden assumptions.

CRITICAL: Decomposition vs Substitution

Decomposition should break down the SAME goal into parts, not replace it with easier sub-goals that don’t add up to the original.

Step 0: Capture Original and Verify Decomposition

ORIGINAL GOAL (verbatim): "[user's exact words]"

Decomposition Integrity Check

After generating sub-goals, verify:

Test: If user achieved ALL sub-goals but NOT the original as stated, what would happen?

• “They would have achieved it” → VALID decomposition
• “They’d still be missing [X]” → INCOMPLETE decomposition
• “They achieved something different” → SUBSTITUTION

If substitution detected → Use consent template from /grf

Context-Adaptive Variants

Decomposition-Lite (URGENT)

• Quick breakdown into 2-3 actionable chunks
• Skip detailed tradeoff analysis
• Focus on “what to do first”

Decomposition-Standard

• Full procedure with all steps
• Complete tradeoff analysis

Decomposition-Full (HIGH stakes)

• Full procedure + validation
• Multiple decomposition approaches compared
• Empirical validation of key assumptions

When to Use

• When a goal is abstract or vague
• Before committing to a plan
• When “obvious” decomposition feels too simple
• When you need to understand tradeoffs
• During GOSM Goal Definition (Step 2)

Output Format

structure: '## Goal Decomposition: [Original Goal]


  ### Expanded Definition

  [Full expanded definition with dimensions, scope, timeframe, constraints]


  ### Subgoals

  | Subgoal | Dimension | Enables | Conflicts With | Priority |

  |---------|-----------|---------|----------------|----------|

  | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |


  ### Subgoal Relationships

  [Graph or list of dependencies and conflicts]


  ### Tradeoff Decisions

  | Conflict | Decision | Reasoning |

  |----------|----------|-----------|

  | ... | ... | ... |


  ### Action Plan

  | Action | Subgoal | Success Criteria | Sequence |

  |--------|---------|------------------|----------|

  | ... | ... | ... | ... |

  '