10 AXIOMS FOR INVESTIGATORS
for improving investigator's performance
© 1979-2018 by Ludwig Benner, Jr. .All rights reserved.
- If you can't flow chart it, you don't understand it. (from conversation with W G Johnson)
- Everyone and everything always have to be someplace, doing something, during the occurrence. (L Benner from observations during investigations.)
- Always expect everyone to act in what they perceive to be their own best interests, and you'll never be disappointed. (quote from W G Meeker)
- Conditions (static or dynamic) don't change unless acted on by some person, object or energy, so track change-agents. (derived from Newton's 1st law
- Things react predictably without thinking during occurrences and tell all – but only if you can "read or hear" what they have to "tell"! (derived from Woods & Sweginnis )
Observer [witness] has it; you need it; and observer [witness] doesn't have to give it to you. (L Benner, derived from observations during many interviews)
- No test plan, no test! (L Benner, derived from observed mistkes)
- Passive voice and abstractions cover up uncompleted investigations. (derived from S.I Hayakawa and observed confusion about report content plus research project.)
- Experienced judgment recycles yesterday's problems. (comment by W G Johnson)
- Alleged "cause(s)" or cause factors, root causes, proximate causes or other causes of an occurrence mask illusions of knowledge. (derived from D. Boorstein and B Russell)
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