The Context Entropy Scan
(If the work feels messy, it’s because meaning is leaking somewhere)
Entropy isn’t just for physics.
It shows up in organizations every day —
as the slow, steady decay of context.
You can feel it when:
people ask the same questions repeatedly
threads get longer and more tangled
decisions are revisited
updates contradict earlier updates
documents stop matching reality
meetings become about “alignment,” not progress
Here’s the tool for detecting where it’s leaking.
⭐ THE CONTEXT ENTROPY SCAN
Look for the following signals:
repeated clarification questions
Slack or Teams threads that sprawl endlessly
multiple versions of “truth” floating around
inconsistent definitions of “done”
people re-explaining the same thing
rising rework
meeting agendas that devolve into “status therapy”
quiet confusion that no one names
Each one is a sign that meaning is breaking down.
⭐ Why It Works
Context doesn’t vanish all at once.
It decays at the edges.
This scan reveals where the decay is happening so you can intervene early.
Interventions might include:
a Context Snapshot
a Reverse Brief
clarifying ownership
a two-layer decision recap
stating the rationale behind a shift
defining “done” explicitly
Entropy never fixes itself.
It must be countered.
⭐ When to Use It
Weekly
When work feels “messy”
When the team seems tired for no reason
When decisions lose stickiness
When tools multiply
When leaders feel they’re repeating themselves
⭐ Try It Today
Pick one project and scan for context entropy.
Fixing even a single leak can make the entire system feel lighter.