Handling Ambiguity & Escalation
This is the situation this whole section exists for: it's not clear how to move forward.
The standard, restated
Gather what's reasonably available, then decide. If you were diligent and still got it wrong, that's acceptable. If more digging would have produced a better answer and you skipped it, that's the miss.
When to keep digging vs. decide
Keep investigating when the cost of being wrong is high relative to the cost of the delay — expensive repairs, recurring problems, lease/legal questions, owner-money decisions. Decide and move when further digging is unlikely to change the answer, the stakes are low, or delay itself causes harm.
For safety, water intrusion, or critical-system failures, act first to protect people and property, then document the investigation after. Speed is correct here.
Time-boxing
Set a sensible limit on the investigation proportional to the stakes. If you hit the limit and it's still unclear, bring it to a decision — don't guess in silence.
Escalation = present a 1-3-1 at NOVA
Escalation isn't asking someone else to figure it out. It's presenting a prepared case so an approver can decide. Escalate when the decision exceeds your approval authority, there's a lease/legal question you can't resolve, a large cost or the owner relationship is at stake, or you've time-boxed and remain unsure.
Bring a Standard Approval Package — your 1-3-1: the root-cause problem, three options, your recommendation, and the open question. Even when you're unsure, still bring a recommendation.
Outside NOVA, escalate to Norman (primary) or Brian (secondary) via a ClickUp ping, text, or call — pick the channel by urgency.