Diagnostic Frameworks

Diagnose

Structural assessment tools derived from IRSA research. Apply these frameworks to identify architectural misalignments in your institution—before they become execution failures.

How These Diagnostics Work

1

Identify Symptoms

Each diagnostic presents observable patterns that indicate specific structural problems.

2

Trace to Architecture

Symptoms are linked to underlying architectural causes—not personalities or culture.

3

Map to Theory

Each diagnosis connects to IRSA research papers and explainers for deeper understanding.

Why Do Decisions Take So Long?

Authority–Mission Alignment

Assess whether authority structures governing commitment are aligned with mission-critical time horizons. For institutions where capital is available but outcomes fail to materialise.

Applicable to:Venture PhilanthropyDevelopment BanksInnovation Agencies+1 more
Based on: RCA Extension IStart Diagnostic

Is Our Funding At Risk?

Capital Fragility

Identify which fragility cycles your capital is coupled to—financial, political, capability, or civic—and assess decoupling opportunities.

Applicable to:FoundationsEndowmentsNFPs+1 more
Based on: RCAStart Diagnostic

Are Our Timelines Mismatched?

Temporal Alignment

Evaluate whether your capital cycles are aligned with mission cycles. Identifies mismatches between funding horizons and outcome timescales.

Applicable to:Climate FundsInfrastructureR&D Programs+1 more
Based on: Alignment CapitalStart Diagnostic

All Process, No Decisions?

Governance vs Authority

Diagnose whether governance mechanisms are proliferating without providing time-bounded authority. Identifies procedural completeness without execution capacity.

Applicable to:CorporatesGovernment AgenciesLarge NFPs+1 more
Based on: RCA Extension IStart Diagnostic

Ready for Regenerative Capital?

PSC Suitability

Assess whether your organisation is ready for regenerative capital structures. Evaluates structural prerequisites for PSC adoption.

Applicable to:FoundationsImpact InvestorsNFPs+1 more
Based on: PSCStart Diagnostic

Is Our Purpose Eroding?

Mission Drift

Identify early signs of mission drift and purpose erosion. Assesses whether institutional memory systems are preserving intent across time.

Applicable to:FoundationsUniversitiesNFPs+1 more
Based on: Institutional MemoryStart Diagnostic

Can Our Rules Protect Themselves?

Semantic Agency

Assess whether your constitution, charter, or foundational rules can defend themselves against reinterpretation and capture. Evaluates semantic protection mechanisms.

Applicable to:FoundationsCooperativesDAOs+1 more
Based on: Semantic FinanceStart Diagnostic

Are Our AI Goals Verified?

Semantic Alignment

Evaluate whether your AI systems' objectives are semantically aligned with your institutional mission. Identifies drift between stated and operational goals.

Applicable to:AI CompaniesResearch InstitutionsTech Foundations+1 more
Based on: Semantic FinanceStart Diagnostic

Is Our 'Why' Being Forgotten?

Founding Erosion

Detect whether your organisation's founding narrative is being gradually reinterpreted. Identifies semantic drift in how your mission is communicated.

Applicable to:NFPsFoundationsUniversities+1 more
Based on: Semantic FinanceStart Diagnostic

Is Our Impact Fund Drifting?

Purpose Erosion

Assess whether your impact fund's investment thesis is drifting from its original purpose. Identifies structural vulnerabilities in mission-aligned capital.

Applicable to:Impact FundsESG InvestorsMission-aligned VCs+1 more
Based on: Semantic FinanceStart Diagnostic

Are We Learning From Mistakes?

Anti-Learning Diagnosis

Diagnose whether your institution defaults to anti-learning—where lessons fail to alter behaviour. Identifies Update Suppression, Feedback Penalty, and Model Rigidity patterns.

Applicable to:Government AgenciesHealthcare SystemsFinancial Institutions+1 more
Based on: ILAStart Diagnostic

Is Your Organisation in an Anti-Learning Regime?

Fragility Cycle Analysis

Identify which fragility cycle—legitimacy, authority, capital, or narrative—is suppressing learning in your institution. Maps structural barriers to the four dominant anti-learning patterns.

Applicable to:Public Policy AgenciesUniversitiesHealthcare Systems+2 more
Based on: ILA-CoreStart Diagnostic

Do Our Commitments Actually Bind?

Enforcement Architecture

Assess whether your institutional commitments have real binding strength or are performative. Evaluates Binding Strength, Non-Bypassability, and Enforcement Coupling.

Applicable to:CorporatesGovernment BodiesInternational Agreements+1 more
Based on: CEAStart Diagnostic

Has Our Corrective Mission Drifted?

Legitimacy Drift

Evaluate whether your corrective institution has drifted from its founding mandate. Identifies mission creep, feedback resistance, and legitimacy brittleness patterns.

Applicable to:Civil Rights AgenciesEquality CommissionsRegulatory Bodies+1 more
Based on: LGITStart Diagnostic

Related Interactive Tools

After diagnosis, explore these dashboards for deeper quantitative analysis:

Fragility Simulator

Model shock resilience

Cycle Alignment

Calculate Δ and Λ scores

Purpose Erosion

Track mission drift

Need a Custom Diagnostic?

These frameworks can be applied to specific institutional contexts. If you're working on complex systems where standard approaches haven't explained persistent underperformance, we may be able to help.

Discuss Your Context