PSD.12:4.6 - Examine adaptive alternatives without assuming free flexibility

When a staged candidate is live, test what it actually preserves. The later observation must arrive early enough, be interpretable, and leave a feasible response within the remaining resources and authority. Include monitoring cost, lead time, temporary exposure, transition burdens, and irreversible loss of options where material.

A policy-failure condition is not automatically an action trigger. The future decision arrangement must determine what observation warrants reconsideration and who can act. If those premises are missing, return the candidate’s specific adaptive-capability gap.

Do not favor a pilot solely because uncertainty is high. A probe can be unsafe, too slow, uninformative, or unable to change the relevant commitment. Conversely, a bounded information result can be more useful than a premature direction recommendation when its supported value justifies the delay.