How to Use the Atlas of Coordination

Maps are not instructions. They do not tell you what to do.
They help you understand where you are.

This page explains how to read this site, what each layer is for, and how the pieces relate - so you can move through it without confusion or pressure.

The Structure of the Site

The site is organized into layers, not steps.

You do not need to read everything.
You do not need to progress in a particular order.

Different people stop at different layers. That is expected.

Some people spend weeks reading Tier 1.
Some people skim it in an afternoon.
Both are using the site correctly.

Tier 1: Orientation & Conceptual Grounding

Tier 1 is fully public and designed for understanding.

These pages describe:

• What coordination is
• Why breakdowns occur even in competent organizations
• How invisible structural forces shape outcomes
• The limits of advice, best practices, and intent

Tier 1 content is stable, non-prescriptive, and conceptual rather than tactical.

If you leave the site after reading only these pages, you have still used it correctly.

Diagnostics: Seeing Your Own System

The diagnostic is an optional tool.

It is not a quiz.
It does not score you.
It does not tell you what you should do.

It helps surface patterns of coordination pressurethat may already be present in a system you’re part of.

Some people use it out of curiosity.
Some use it to put language to something they already sense.
Some choose not to use it at all.

Tier 2: Gated Analysis & Depth

Some parts of the site are intentionally gated.

This is not to withhold information, but to prevent misapplication, reduce narrative momentum, and ensure structural analysis is read in the right context.

Tier 2 content assumes:

• You understand the limits of diagnosis
• You are not looking for quick fixes
• You are willing to sit with ambiguity

Access stops are explicit and intentional.

What This Site Does Not Do

The Atlas does not provide management advice, recommend interventions, evaluate performance, assign blame, or optimize behavior.

If you are looking for tactics, playbooks, or prescriptions, this site may feel incomplete.
That is by design.

How People Commonly Use the Atlas

• Reading Tier 1 to gain language and perspective
• Using the diagnostic once to clarify a vague concern
• Returning later to see whether perceptions have changed
• Using the concepts to support conversations - not decisions

Progress here is not linear.

When to Use the Diagnostic

The diagnostic is most useful when:

• You sense something is wrong but can’t quite name it
• You want language for a pattern you already perceive
• You are preparing for a structural conversation

It is less useful when:

• You are looking for immediate answers
• You need to make a decision quickly
• You are under acute time pressure