What is a Framework, and how does help my thinking?
A framework is a way of bringing structure and clarity to what can present as quite complex scenarios. Good frameworks focus your thinking, helping to finding paths to a solution, be that a specific answer, approach or a wider way-of-being.
Think of a framework as a reusable, modular foundation that simplifies the process of solving complex problems by providing a pre-designed structure built on experience, research and insights borrowed from analogous situations.
Another, more poetic, way of thinking about a framework is to see it as the pattern of thought, within which your own specifics can be layered.
As with anything, choosing the right framework for the application at hand is key. Frameworks help in one (or ideally more) of the areas of;
- Diagnosis – figuring out what’s happening in a situation
- Development – looking for ways to improve a situation
- Design – creating a new pathway to an outcome
- Decision – helping way up the factors between multiple pathways
- Discipline – bringing structure to a situation
- Direction – helping define a specific path or approach
A beautiful framework has a broad and multifaceted set of applications, whilst providing for clarity, simplicity and being able to strip away clutter, noise and situational distraction.
Frameworks can also be referred to as mental models, tools, systems, approaches or processes.