Getting Started with 6D Foraging

"Dive deep across six dimensions to discover what others miss."

Quick Start

The 6D Foraging Methodology™ is strategic foraging across six business dimensions. Like cormorants diving beneath the surface, we systematically forage deep to discover the 70-90% of cost multipliers traditional analysis completely misses.

The Core Question

When you encounter a problem, ask:

"Where should we forage to discover the full cost multiplier?"

The Six Dimensions

D	Dimension	Core Question
1	Customer	How does this affect who pays us?
2	Employee	How does this affect who works for us?
3	Revenue	How does this affect money coming in?
4	Regulatory	How does this affect our compliance?
5	Quality	How does this affect what we deliver?
6	Operational	How does this affect how we work?

Your First 6D Analysis

Step 1: Identify Observable Signals

Don't rely on intuition — look for concrete signals in your systems:

Example: Aviation Maintenance Facility
├── Operational: Parts inventory issues, recurring stockouts
├── Employee: Technician overtime, frustration signals
├── Revenue: Penalty clauses from delays
├── Customer: Airlines questioning contract renewal
├── Quality: Aircraft maintenance delays, extended downtime
└── Regulatory: FAA documentation concerns

Step 2: Apply the 3D Lens

For each affected dimension, score three factors (1-10):

Lens	Question	Example Score
Sound (Urgency)	How immediate is the problem?	8 (Current crisis)
Space (Scope)	How widespread is the impact?	7 (Multiple customers)
Time (Trajectory)	Is it getting worse or better?	7 (Accelerating)

Dimension Score = (Sound × Space × Time) ÷ 10

Example: (8 × 7 × 7) ÷ 10 = 39.2

Step 3: Map the Cascade

Problems multiply as they cascade across dimensions:

Step 4: Calculate Total Impact

Component	Calculation	Amount
Direct Cost	Original problem (annually)	$119,000
Quality Cascade	$119K × 80% × 3.5×	$330,000
Employee Cascade	$119K × 75% × 4.2×	$370,000
Customer Cascade	$119K × 65% × 5.7×	$440,000
Revenue Cascade	$119K × 65% × 11.4×	$880,000
Regulatory Cascade	$119K × 30% × 1.7×	$61,000
TOTAL IMPACT		$2,200,000

Multiplier: 18.5×

Key Concepts to Master

1. Observable Properties

Don't guess — measure. Each dimension has specific:

• Signals — What to look for (ticket spikes, overtime hours, NPS drops)
• Data sources — Where to find it (Zendesk, HRIS, CRM)
• Trigger keywords — Language patterns indicating severity
• Metrics — Leading and lagging indicators

📖 Read more: Observable Properties Framework

2. Cascade Pathways

Problems don't stay isolated. Learn the primary cascades:

Origin	Primary Target	Secondary	Tertiary
Customer	Revenue (70%)	Employee (50%)	Regulatory (20%)
Employee	Quality (80%)	Operational (70%)	Revenue (40%)
Revenue	Operational (85%)	Employee (60%)	Quality (40%)
Regulatory	Revenue (90%)	Customer (70%)	Operational (60%)
Quality	Customer (85%)	Operational (75%)	Regulatory (30%)
Operational	Quality (80%)	Employee (75%)	Revenue (60%)

📖 Read more: Cascade Pathways

3. Multiplier Factors

Not all problems cascade equally. Multipliers increase based on:

• Number of dimensions affected (1-2 = 1.5×, 5-6 = 10×+)
• Cascade depth (How many levels deep?)
• 3D scores (Higher urgency/scope/trajectory = bigger multiplier)
• Reversibility (Easy fixes = low, permanent damage = high)

📖 Read more: Scoring Methodology

4. Cormorant Foraging Integration

The 3D lens comes from the Cormorant Foraging Framework:

• ChirpIQX (Sound) — Urgency analysis (immediate hooks, aggressive signals)
• PerchIQX (Space) — Scope analysis (positioning, strategic framing)
• WakeIQX (Time) — Trajectory analysis (past patterns, memory, trends)

📖 Read more: Cormorant Integration

Learning Path

For Self-Reference (Your Use Case)

1. Start with one dimension — Pick the one most relevant to your current work
2. Memorize trigger keywords — Print the Quick Reference Card
3. Practice scoring — Use the 3D lens on real problems
4. Map cascades — Draw them out until the patterns stick
5. Use the glossary — Reference definitions as you go

For Teaching Others

1. Start with the story — Show the $119K → $2.2M example
2. Explain one cascade — Visual > abstract
3. Give them the checklist — Dimensions + 3D lens
4. Let them score something — Practice on a real problem
5. Debrief the multiplier — Why did it cascade this way?

Quick Reference

Print this for your desk:

D	Dimension	Key Metric	High Urgency Signal
1	Customer	NPS, Churn	"Canceling", "Legal action"
2	Employee	Turnover, Engagement	"I'm done", "Burned out"
3	Revenue	AR Aging, Margin	"Penalty clause", "Termination"
4	Regulatory	Audit Findings, Fines	"Violation", "Investigation"
5	Quality	Defect Rate, Rework	"Recall", "Safety incident"
6	Operational	Uptime, Cycle Time	"System down", "Outage"

3D Lens Quick Check:

• Sound: How urgent? (1=future, 10=crisis)
• Space: How widespread? (1=isolated, 10=enterprise-wide)
• Time: Getting better or worse? (1=one-time, 10=accelerating)

Next Steps

🎯 Explore the Six Dimensions — Deep dive into each impact area

📊 Learn Cascade Analysis — Master the multiplier effect

🔧 See Real Case Studies — Learn from actual implementations

📖 Complete Framework Guide — Read the full methodology

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Ready to start measuring? Begin with D1: Customer Impact or jump to the Framework Overview.