Readiness Model

Hardware systems do not fail randomly. They fail along predictable paths created by decision timing.

HRF models readiness as a progression of constraint locking.

Stage 1 — Conceptual Readiness

• System goals are defined
• Physical feasibility is assumed
• No commitments exist yet

Risk: false equivalence between concept and realizability.

Stage 2 — Assumption Readiness

• Key assumptions are identified
• Interfaces and tolerances are implied
• Validation is partial or absent

Risk: assumptions become invisible once documents solidify.

Stage 3 — Commitment Readiness

• Designs are frozen
• Suppliers are selected
• Contracts encode assumptions

Risk: failure injection becomes irreversible.

Stage 4 — Execution Reality

• Physical behavior asserts itself
• Deviations surface
• Correction costs multiply

HRF is concerned primarily with Stage 2 → Stage 3. This is where readiness must be evaluated, or failure is guaranteed later.