The Practice Audit 2.2.4-1

Purpose

The practice audit is a structured review of standing team norms, practices, and processes. It operationalizes the method-over-canon principle by subjecting every recurring team practice to three evidence-based questions. The audit can be run independently or integrated into the error-friendly retro (2.2.3-1) as a periodic deep-dive.

When to Run

Run the practice audit quarterly, at the start of a new project phase, or when the team experiences a significant change in composition, scope, or context. It should also be triggered when the error-friendly retro repeatedly surfaces dissatisfaction with the same norm.

The Audit Template

For each standing norm or practice under review, complete the following:

Norm name: State the practice concretely. "Weekly standup, Monday 9 AM, 15 minutes." Not "our meeting culture."

Original problem: What problem was this norm created to solve? If no one can name the original problem, record "origin unknown" — this is itself diagnostic information.

Current effectiveness: Is the norm still solving the original problem? Rate: Fully effective / Partially effective / No longer effective / Unknown.

Evidence: What specific evidence supports the current-effectiveness rating? Name outcomes, metrics, or observations. "It feels useful" is not evidence. "The standup surfaces 2–3 blockers per week that would otherwise go unreported until Thursday" is evidence.

Revision trigger: Under what conditions should this norm be revisited? Name the specific change (team size, project type, measured outcome) that would prompt a new evaluation.

Recommendation: Retain as is / Modify (describe modification) / Retire / Investigate further.

How to Use the Results

Norms rated "Fully effective" with clear evidence and a named revision trigger require no action — they have passed the audit and earned their continuation.

Norms rated "Partially effective" or "No longer effective" enter the revision protocol (2.2.4-2). The audit provides the diagnostic. The revision protocol provides the mechanism for change.

Norms with "origin unknown" deserve particular attention. A norm whose original purpose cannot be identified by anyone on the team has passed through a canon transition — it is being maintained by habit, not by function. This does not mean it is useless. It means it must be re-justified from current evidence, as if it were being proposed for the first time. If it can earn its place under current conditions, it stays. If it cannot, it is a candidate for retirement.

The Audit Cadence

The practice audit is not a one-time event. It is a recurring discipline — the team equivalent of the individual assumptions register. Norms that pass the audit this quarter may fail it next quarter if conditions change. The audit date should be on the calendar with the same permanence as the error-friendly retro. A team that audits its practices once and never revisits them has treated the audit itself as canon.