The ABCDE Framework

Diagnose the gap between work-as-imagined and work-as-done

Understand what your documentation says versus what actually happens in the field. Establish the baseline before any intervention.

• Regulatory requirements analysis (OSHA, API, ISO 45001, operator contract mapping)
• Gap analysis with prioritized closure plan
• Incident and fatality data review to identify highest-risk operations
• Field observation of current pre-task conversations and verification practices
• Baseline conversation quality scoring (how good are your safety conversations right now, before we change anything?)

Build the documentation, tools, and infrastructure

Create the risk assessments, JSAs, SOPs, apps, and AI environment that make cognitive verification possible at scale. Nothing gets trained until the foundation exists.

• Risk assessments for critical operations (regulatory-mapped, defensible)
• JSAs with verification prompts built so supervisors know what to ask and what good answers sound like
• Standard operating procedures for high-hazard activities
• Custom applications for field data capture (inspections, observations, incidents)
• Operations dashboards with AI-powered query capability
• AI analytics environment configured with operational context and prompt library
• AI for Safety Operations training (teaching teams to use AI tools)

Install cognitive verification behavior through the Crucible

The Crucible is an 8-hour in-person intervention that resets supervisor identity from rule enforcer to guide who verifies thinking. It only works when A and B are in place. You cannot train people to use documents that do not exist. Learn about the Crucible →

• The Crucible (8-hour supervisor intervention, in-person only)
• Field-based coaching post-Crucible (real-time observation and feedback)
• Sherpa Safety Guide Trainer certification pathway (attend, co-teach, teach under observation)
• The Spark (free awareness session for leadership pipeline development)

Measure whether the behavior change is real and sustainable

The tools built in Phase B become the measurement instruments. Leadership sees conversation quality data alongside your existing safety metrics. This is where the investment proves itself. Learn about the measurement framework →

• Four verification indicators activated to track what matters: Are workers owning their thinking? Are leaders doing verification? Do conversations predict outcomes? Do incidents trace to verification gaps?
• Dashboard integration showing conversation quality alongside incident rates, inspection completion, and training compliance
• Post-intervention measurement (before/after comparison using baseline from Phase A)
• Leadership coaching on reading and acting on conversation quality data
• Knowledge transfer so internal teams sustain measurement independently

Detect drift. Correct course. Return to any phase as needed.

The recursive loop. When conversation quality starts slipping, when prompts need updating, when new operations need documenting. This is why the ongoing partnership exists. Without Examine, every transformation degrades.

• Drift detection and correction (structured process to catch and fix quality slippage)
• 30/60/90 day and quarterly reviews
• Recovery plans that route back to the right phase when things drift (coaching refresher, documentation update, or measurement recalibration)
• AI environment updates (new prompts, new data sources, regulatory changes)
• App maintenance and new builds as operations evolve
• Document reviews and updates against current regulations
• Annual review and expansion roadmap

The mechanism that prevents degradation

What it is: A structured protocol that activates when Phase E detects drift. Course Correction is not a separate phase. It is the decision engine inside Phase E that determines which phase to return to and what specific corrective action to take.

When it triggers: When conversation quality indicators show regression. When supervisors revert to binary questions. When new hires have not been through the Crucible. When documentation has not kept pace with operational changes. When leadership stops reviewing measurement data. The 30/60/90 day reviews and quarterly cadence are the scheduled checkpoints, but Course Correction can activate at any time the data warrants it.

Why it matters: Without a formal correction mechanism, every safety transformation degrades within 12 to 18 months regardless of how strong the initial training was. Organizations that skip Phase E experience predictable decay. Course Correction is what makes cognitive verification self-sustaining rather than a one-time event.

How it works: Confirm the drift, classify the type (prompt quality, measurement discipline, capability gap, documentation gap), trace it to the source, restore by routing to the appropriate ABCDE phase, and verify the fix held. The circle never stops because Course Correction keeps it turning.