What-If Oracle — Research Scenario Planning

Explore a bounded set of possible futures before committing research resources. The output is a scenario comparison, an evidence ledger, and a contingency plan. It does not cover the full possibility space or establish that a narrated mechanism will occur.

The six branch prompts and 0·IF·1 mnemonic come from the upstream What-If framework. Treat the mnemonic as a framing aid: a potential change (0), a stated condition (IF), and a resulting scenario (1). It is not a scientific law or a computational model.

The author's What-If Paradigm and Unified Theory of Digital Consciousness are catalogued by Zenodo as preprints. Their deposit and DOI establish provenance, not forecasting accuracy or empirical validation of this workflow.

When to use

Use for questions such as:

• What if sample attrition is higher than planned?
• What if a method fails to transfer to a new instrument, cohort, or site?
• What if a key reagent, dataset, or measurement becomes unavailable?
• Which research option remains feasible under competing hypotheses or resource constraints?

Keep the analysis attached to a scientific decision. This is not a general business, personal advice, or software architecture skill. If the question requires an intervention effect, a power calculation, or a numerical simulation, identify the required design/model and evidence; do not manufacture those results with scenario prose.