MEMOLA-Diagnosis — Terrain Assessment Skill

A focused skill for determining whether an opportunity, client, or market fits MEMOLA methodology.

1. Purpose

MEMOLA-Diagnosis answers one question:

Is this MEMOLA terrain?

Before any engagement, before any strategy, before any execution — run this diagnostic.

2. The Two Terrains

Foundation Terrain (MEMOLA Applies)

Characteristics:

Failure mode: weathering over years
Trust compounds and transfers
Legitimacy > speed
Reputation outlasts hype cycles
History creates advantage

Examples:

Institutions (100+ year organizations)
Heritage brands (family businesses, artisanal producers)
Professional services (law, medicine, consulting)
Regional anchors (rural cooperatives, local media)
Cultural organizations (museums, foundations)

Sprint Terrain (MEMOLA Does NOT Apply)

Characteristics:

Failure mode: rupture
Speed determines survival
First-mover advantage dominates
Network effects are the only moat
Pivoting is the primary skill

Examples:

Consumer apps
Viral products
Speculative ventures
Growth-at-all-costs startups
Trend-dependent businesses

3. The Five Diagnostic Questions

Question 1: Survival Horizon

Can this survive long enough for structure to matter?

Scoring:

10+ year likely survival → YES (1 point)
5-10 year horizon → PARTIAL (0.5 points)
<5 year or uncertain → NO (0 points)

Red flags:

Runway < 18 months
Dependent on single funding round
No clear path to sustainability

Question 2: Failure Mode

Does failure here look like erosion, not explosion?

Scoring:

Gradual decline over years → YES (1 point)
Mixed or uncertain → PARTIAL (0.5 points)
Sudden collapse possible → NO (0 points)

Red flags:

Single point of failure
Platform dependency
Regulatory cliff
Key person risk without succession

Question 3: Legitimacy vs Speed

Is legitimacy more valuable than speed?

Scoring:

Trust/reputation is primary asset → YES (1 point)
Both matter equally → PARTIAL (0.5 points)
Speed/timing is primary → NO (0 points)

Red flags:

"We need to launch before competitor"
"First to market wins"
"Move fast and break things" culture

Question 4: Clarity Impact

Will clarity actually change outcomes?

Scoring:

Strategic clarity directly improves results → YES (1 point)
Clarity helps but isn't decisive → PARTIAL (0.5 points)
Execution/luck matters more than strategy → NO (0 points)

Red flags:

"We just need to execute"
No decision-making authority
Strategy disconnected from operations

Question 5: Virality Independence

Does this work without going viral?

Scoring:

Success doesn't require virality → YES (1 point)
Virality helps but isn't required → PARTIAL (0.5 points)
Must go viral to survive → NO (0 points)

Red flags:

Business model requires exponential growth
No path to profitability without scale
Depends on network effects not yet present

4. Scoring and Interpretation

Calculate Total Score

Sum all five questions (max 5 points).

Decision Thresholds

| Score | Classification | Recommendation | |-------|---------------|----------------| | 4.5 - 5.0 | Strong Foundation | Proceed with full MEMOLA | | 3.5 - 4.0 | Foundation-Leaning | Proceed with attention | | 2.5 - 3.0 | Mixed Terrain | Caution — scope carefully | | 1.5 - 2.0 | Sprint-Leaning | Likely decline | | 0.0 - 1.0 | Strong Sprint | Decline — wrong terrain |

Override Conditions

Even with high scores, decline if:

No clear decision authority exists
Ethical concerns present
Payment/governance structure problematic
Scope cannot be defined

5. Diagnostic Workflow

Step 1: Gather Initial Information

Required inputs:

Entity type (company, institution, project, individual)
Age/history
Business model basics
Why they're seeking help
Who makes decisions

Step 2: Run Five Questions

Ask each question. Score honestly. Document reasoning for each score.

Step 3: Calculate and Classify

Sum scores. Apply thresholds. Classify as Foundation, Mixed, or Sprint.

Step 4: Identify Red Flags

Review for override conditions. Note any concerns regardless of score.

Step 5: Generate Recommendation

Output format:

TERRAIN ASSESSMENT: [Entity Name]
Date: [Date]

Scores:
1. Survival Horizon: [X/1] — [reasoning]
2. Failure Mode: [X/1] — [reasoning]
3. Legitimacy vs Speed: [X/1] — [reasoning]
4. Clarity Impact: [X/1] — [reasoning]
5. Virality Independence: [X/1] — [reasoning]

Total: [X/5]
Classification: [Foundation/Mixed/Sprint]

Red Flags: [List or "None identified"]

Recommendation: [Proceed/Proceed with caution/Decline]
Reasoning: [1-2 sentences]

6. Quick Diagnostic (2-Minute Version)

When full assessment isn't possible, ask:

How old is this entity? (<3 years = camp signal)
What happens if they do nothing for 6 months? (Rupture = sprint, decline = foundation)
Who decides? (Committee = caution, clear authority = proceed)

If all three pass → likely foundation terrain. If any fail → run full diagnostic.

7. Common Patterns

Pattern: The Disguised Sprint

Looks like foundation (old institution) but operates like sprint (desperate for quick results, no patience for structure).

Diagnostic tell: Question 3 scores low despite institutional age.

Pattern: The Premature Foundation

Young entity trying to build foundation in sprint terrain. Good intentions, wrong environment.

Diagnostic tell: High scores on Q3-Q5 but Q1 scores low.

Pattern: The Eroding Foundation

Once-strong foundation terrain now shifting to camp (industry disruption, regulatory change).

Diagnostic tell: Historical foundation indicators but current scores declining.

8. Integration with MEMOLA Core

This skill is Workflow 0 in MEMOLA v2.0.0.

After terrain assessment passes:

Proceed to Strategic Diagnosis (Workflow 1)
Apply full MEMOLA method

If terrain assessment fails:

Decline engagement
Or recommend alternative approach outside MEMOLA

9. Skill Boundaries

MEMOLA-Diagnosis does:

Classify terrain
Score fit
Recommend proceed/decline

MEMOLA-Diagnosis does NOT:

Design strategy
Create structures
Execute tactics

For those, use core MEMOLA skill after diagnosis passes.

End of MEMOLA-Diagnosis SKILL.md Version 1.0.0 — January 2026