breakthrough

# breakthrough

Structured creativity when conventional approaches fail.

**You're in good company.** Every expert developer gets stuck. The difference is having systematic techniques to move forward. Let's find your breakthrough together.

## When to Use

| Trigger | Action |
|---------|--------|
| "I'm stuck on..." | Run breakthrough |
| "Can't figure out..." | Run breakthrough |
| "Hitting a wall with..." | Run breakthrough |
| "All options seem bad" | Run breakthrough |
| Problem is well-defined | Skip (just execute) |
| Haven't researched yet | Research first |

## Quick Reference: 6 Techniques

| Technique | One-Liner | Best For |
|-----------|-----------|----------|
| [Simplification Cascade](references/techniques.md#1-simplification-cascade) | Strip to essence, solve trivial, add back | Problem feels too big |
| [Scale Game](references/techniques.md#2-scale-game) | 1000x smaller? 1000x larger? | Over-engineered solutions |
| [Meta-Pattern](references/techniques.md#3-meta-pattern-recognition) | What class of problem is this? | "This shouldn't be this hard" |
| [Assumption Inversion](references/techniques.md#4-assumption-inversion) | List assumptions, flip each | All options seem bad |
| [Constraint Removal](references/techniques.md#5-constraint-removal) | Remove constraint, solve, then work within | Stuck on specific constraint |
| [Fresh Perspective](references/techniques.md#6-fresh-perspective) | Explain to duck, draw it, channel expert | Can't see the forest |

## Symptom-Based Dispatch

See [symptoms.md](references/symptoms.md) for full table.

| Symptom | Technique |
|---------|-----------|
| Problem feels overwhelming | Simplification Cascade |
| Solution feels too complex | Scale Game |
| "This shouldn't be this hard" | Meta-Pattern Recognition |
| Every option has fatal flaws | Assumption Inversion |
| One constraint blocking all paths | Constraint Removal |
| Lost in details, can't zoom out | Fresh Perspective |

## Decision Tree

```dot
digraph Brea