Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

arrow_back_ios_new
MENTAL MODEL · M1798

Fail-Soft

Fail-Soft
SystemsHigh supportSystems Theory
Included
account_tree

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-31

CORE DEFINITION

When some components of a system fail, the system does not completely crash but provides degraded functionality. For example, if Google search goes down, it shows you yesterday's cache instead of a 404 page.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Graceful degradation. In crisis, do not pursue perfection, but pursue 'survival'. If you cannot provide 100% service, providing 50% is infinitely better than 0%.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Fail-soft means that when part of a system fails, it can continue to provide services in a degraded manner rather than crashing entirely. It uses isolation and degradation to confine local failures to an acceptable range.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
Learning progress0%
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_toleranceZH · Explicit
    verified

RELATED MODELS

Related model

Wirth's Law

Wirth's law is an adage on computer performance which states that software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware is becoming faster.

arrow_forwardRelated model

Hyrum's Law

An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A documen

arrow_forwardRelated model

Coriolis Force

The Coriolis force is an inertial-force term needed to describe motion in a rotating reference frame, involving the cross product of frame angular velocity and relative object velocity.

arrow_forward