> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://unko.design/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Step 1: Mapping Your Current DNA

> Discover the patterns that already exist in your company

# The Canonical Order for Reverse-Engineering a Company’s DNA

**12 Strands → 6 Workshop Modules → 1 Clean Genome Map**

Below is the **exact order** companies should use —\
optimized for **logic, psychology, and discovery**.

## Core Idea of the Chapter

> **“Your company already has a Brand DNA, Product DNA, Culture DNA, Decision DNA — whether you’ve written it or not. This step is about decoding what already exists.”**

The DNA exists today.\
You’re just learning to see it.

To do that, you must:

* observe
* collect evidence
* document without judgment
* stay radically honest
* map reality, not hopes

# Universal Framework for Mapping Any Strand

Every strand — **Brand, Product, UI, UX, Tech, Data, Sales, Support, Ops, Security, AI, Team** —\
can be reverse-engineered using the same universal diagnostic questions.

These questions do not map your *aspirations*.\
They expose your **real operating system** — the invisible DNA that governs your company.

## The 5 Universal DNA Questions

*The canonical laws for diagnosing any strand*

### **1. Repetition — What do we do again and again, without being told?**

Repetition exposes your **habit loops**, the patterns that define your true identity.

> **What you repeat is what you are.**

Ask:

* What behaviors show up every week?
* What practices occur naturally?
* What do we obsess over?
* What do we always neglect?

### **2. Decision Patterns — Which choices recur consistently over time?**

This reveals your **decision DNA** — the logic your company uses automatically.

> Companies reuse the same decision rules regardless of situation.

Ask:

* What always gets approved or prioritized?
* What gets delayed, deprioritized, or ignored?
* Who gets listened to?
* What do we pick between speed, quality, cost, or safety?

### **3. Tolerance — What do we allow, ignore, or silently accept?**

Tolerance shows your **real cultural floor**, not your written values.

> What you tolerate defines your minimum standard.

Ask:

* What sloppy behavior continues unchecked?
* What chaos or misalignment is “normal”?
* Which bad habits persist because they are “not urgent”?

### **4. Pressure Response — How do we behave under stress?**

Crisis reveals the **company’s true form**.

> Under pressure, systems collapse back into their real DNA.

Ask:

* Who takes charge?
* What shortcuts do we take?
* Where does quality drop?
* Do we collaborate or fragment?
* Do we freeze or accelerate?

### **5. Emergence — What patterns appear when nobody is consciously managing?**

Emergent behavior shows the **system’s natural state**.

> The truth of a system is revealed when no one is “trying.”

Ask:

* What defaults reappear without direction?
* What naturally becomes organized?
* What becomes chaotic?
* What does the team do automatically?

# How to Map DNA Using One Strand (Teaching Example)

A single deep example helps readers learn the method without overwhelm.

Recommended example: **Product DNA**

## Example: Product DNA Snapshot (Hypothetical Company)

### Evidence Collection

Look at:

* recent feature releases
* how prioritization truly occurs
* which features get delayed
* what the CEO personally pushes
* what customers repeatedly request

### 🧬 Real DNA Mapping Example

```json theme={null}
{
  "product_dna_snapshot": {
    "what_we_consistently_do": "Ship fast improvements to internal tools, but slow to update core user features.",
    "repeating_decisions": "Prioritize stability over innovation.",
    "tolerated_behavior": "Incomplete documentation and vague specs.",
    "default_under_pressure": "CEO intervenes and re-scopes the roadmap.",
    "emerging_patterns": "The product evolves around internal needs more than customer needs."
  }
}


## 🧬 Canonical Order – Short Form Cheat Sheet

Use this as the **one-glance map** of the DNA ordering.

| #  | Strand     | Core Question  |
| --- | ---------- | -------------- |
| 1  | Brand      | Who we are     |
| 2  | Product    | What we build  |
| 3  | UI         | How it looks   |
| 4  | UX         | How it feels   |
| 5  | Tech       | How it works   |
| 6  | Data       | How we learn   |
| 7  | Sales      | How we sell    |
| 8  | Support    | How we help    |
| 9  | Operations | How we run     |
| 10 | Security   | How we protect |
| 11 | AI         | How we scale   |
| 12 | Team       | How we grow    |
```