Glossary · Optimization and failure dynamics
Channel coupling
Dependence among supposedly independent assurance channels, measured by joint miss rates: does one channel miss what the other misses? High coupling means the Swiss-cheese holes line up.
Defined in
Handbook · LifecycleChannels, independence, and anchor burnSeparate the signal you optimize, the one that certifies, and the one that reports reality. Then budget every bit of anchor information you spend.Related terms
- Swiss cheese model
- Assurance from stacking validation methods, each a slice whose holes are its limitations. It works only if the holes do not line up, which joint miss rates across channels measure.
- O/A/P channels
- Three separated measurement channels: an optimized channel (O), cheap, dense, and allowed to co-evolve; an anchor channel (A) that certifies independently and stays out of training objectives; and a production channel (P) of real outcomes and incidents.
Where it comes up
- Mechanism familiesHandbook · Instrument
- Goodhart pressure and self-confirming loopsHandbook · Validity under pressure
- The validation profile and validity statementHandbook · Validity under pressure
- Anti-patterns and failure vocabularyHandbook · Practice
- Notation and formula cardHandbook · Reference