Work tracks + control gates + an external critical voice · Hover for detail
Florian Klett 2026 · aiflowfactors.eu
Honest about the build: this is how I keep myself in control of the AI — not the other way round. The mechanics are shared as patterns.
Every track is a kind of work, every circle a control gate. Spark ✦ (gold) = an external critical voice that speaks last. Riker (dark) = direct sparring, no committee. Privacy = a hard blocker: nothing proceeds without a privacy clearance.
Quality controls — at a glance
⌨️
Code
Software build
📐
Read first
Pre-build
Read before writingArchitecture rules and existing patterns are read before any code is written. Decide the shape first.
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📊
Standards
During build
Quality standardsType-safety, test coverage and clean boundaries enforced while building, not after.
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🔬
Senior review
Post-build
Senior-engineer reviewA structured review against a fixed checklist before anything ships, with an explicit confidence rating.
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🐕
Automated gates
Pre-commit
Automated pre-commit checksLint, type-check and tests run automatically. No commit goes through unless they pass clean.
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📋
Self-audit
Pre-review
Pre-review self-auditA short fixed checklist run before every code review — caught issues before someone else has to.
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👤
Human sign-off
Final
Final human sign-offNothing merges without a human decision. The AI proposes, I decide.
⚖️
Decision
Board
📥
Intake
Trigger
Auto-triggerA governance process activates automatically on any real decision, gate change, or strategy question. No bypass.
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🔍
Verify sources
Facts
Research verificationEvery number needs a source, a sample size, a year and a confidence level before it counts.
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🪑
5-step process
Independent
Five-step protocolFrame the question · each advisor weighs in independently (no cross-talk) · synthesis · direct challenges · the external voice speaks last.
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⚡
Dissent
Speaks last
✦ The external voiceContrarian by design. No loyalty bias. Speaks after everyone else, to break groupthink before a decision sticks.
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🚦
Phase gate
Transition
Four phase gatesExplore → Evaluate → Execute → Evolve. Every transition re-triggers the governance process.
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📊
Register
Running
Decision registerEvery decision is logged in one running register — traceable, never lost.
📢
Content
Publishing
📝
Draft
Gate 1 — DraftNothing goes out yet. The guardrails are active from the first line.
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🎯
Positioning
Gate 2 — PositioningDoes the claim match what can honestly be defended today? No overstating.
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🔒
Privacy BLOCKER
Gate 3 — Privacy (hard blocker)Full anonymisation, no identifying details, no sensitive data. Nothing proceeds without a privacy clearance.
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⚙️
Operations
Gate 4 — OperationsAssets, timing and channel readiness checked before anything is scheduled.
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👾
Devil's advocate
✦ Gate 5 — Devil's advocateThe strongest headwind. "Would a stranger reading this actually buy it?" No holding back.
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✅
Sign-off
Gate 6 — Human sign-offWithout an explicit go: nothing is sent, nothing is published.
🤖
AI Behaviour
How it works
📡
Control words
My language
A control vocabularyA set of phrases between me and the AI. Each one triggers a defined behaviour. No phrase = default.
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🧭
Right model
Per task
Model routingThe right size of model for the task — light for quick checks, heavy for judgment and strategy.
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🏷️
Confidence flags
High/med/low
Confidence flagsEvery factual claim is marked High, Medium or Low. Unverified is labelled unverified.
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🔭
3-lens review
Pre-delivery
Three-lens reviewBigger pieces get checked from three independent angles before delivery, then reconciled.
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📈
Prompt coach
Better asks
Prompt coachingThe AI flags when my own request is vague and suggests a sharper version. Better questions, better answers.
♟️
Sparring
1-on-1
No committee. No protocol.
Just me and a direct sparring partner — honest, open, uncomfortable.
🎯
Direct channel
On call
Direct sparringA direct line, no committee, no overhead. Fast and honest when I need to think something through.
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🧠
Bias check
4 biases
Bias checkAnchoring, overconfidence, sunk-cost, availability — the partner names them, even when I push back.
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⚡
Full independence
No yes-man
Independent by designDisagrees when needed. Gives the strongest counter-argument. A mirror, not an approver.
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🚨
Escalates
to the board
Auto-escalationThe moment a real decision is on the table, it escalates to the full governance process. No bypass.
⚓ Always on
📅 Date checks
✏️ Lean writing
🔄 Session protocol
🔒 Privacy boundary
⚡
The Spark — the external voice
Not a fixed role. A shapeshifter that brings the outside world into the room. An antidote to groupthink — it speaks last, and sees the pattern before breaking it.
Speaks last
🔭
Trend spotter
What's coming our way? Connects trends the room hasn't seen yet.
🎤
Pitch mode
Becomes the investor, customer or founder, and pitches — something to react to.
👥
Customer voice
Becomes the target user — with their fears, motivations and frustrations.
🕵️
Competitor intel
Becomes the strategist of the strongest competitor.
🃏
Wild card
Pure provocation. Questions the core assumptions.
🧪
Test user
Becomes the non-technical first-time user when something gets built.