PerchIQX: Space (Scope)
"From the high perch, the cormorant sees not just one fish, but the entire school. See the full scope."
PerchIQX is the scope dimension of the 3D lens. It measures how widespread an impact is — how many people, customers, systems, or processes are affected.
What is Space/Scope?
Core question: How widespread is this impact?
Named for: The cormorant's elevated perch — the vantage point from which it surveys the entire hunting ground, assessing the size and density of fish schools before diving.
In business context: Scope determines resource allocation and response scale:
- Wide scope (8-10): All-hands, enterprise-wide initiative, C-suite ownership
- Medium scope (4-7): Cross-functional team, department-level response
- Narrow scope (1-3): Individual contributor, single-team fix
The Space Scale (1-10)
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PERCH IQX SCALE │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 10 │ MARKET-WIDE / UNIVERSAL │
│ │ • All customers affected (100%) │
│ │ • Entire company impacted (all departments) │
│ │ • Industry-wide visibility │
│ │ • Systemic across all systems │
│ │ Response: CEO ownership, board notification │
│ │ │
│ 9 │ ENTERPRISE-WIDE │
│ │ • 75%+ of customers affected │
│ │ • All or most departments impacted │
│ │ • Multiple interconnected systems │
│ │ • Cross-functional coordination required │
│ │ Response: C-suite ownership, all-hands │
│ │ │
│ 8 │ BROAD ORGANIZATIONAL │
│ │ • 50-75% of customers │
│ │ • Multiple departments │
│ │ • Core business systems │
│ │ • Major product lines affected │
│ │ Response: Executive steering committee │
│ │ │
│ 7 │ SEGMENT-WIDE │
│ │ • Entire customer segment (e.g., all enterprise) │
│ │ • Several departments affected │
│ │ • Critical business system │
│ │ • Key product line │
│ │ Response: VP-level ownership, cross-team │
│ │ │
│ 6 │ MULTI-TEAM / MULTI-CUSTOMER │
│ │ • 20-30% of customers │
│ │ • 2-3 departments │
│ │ • Multiple related systems │
│ │ • Product feature set │
│ │ Response: Director-level, tiger team │
│ │ │
│ 5 │ DEPARTMENTAL / CUSTOMER SUBSET │
│ │ • 10-20% of customers │
│ │ • One department, multiple teams │
│ │ • Business-critical subsystem │
│ │ • Single product line │
│ │ Response: Manager-led, dedicated task force │
│ │ │
│ 4 │ TEAM-WIDE / CUSTOMER COHORT │
│ │ • 5-10% of customers │
│ │ • One team (10-20 people) │
│ │ • Supporting system │
│ │ • Product module │
│ │ Response: Team lead, sprint allocation │
│ │ │
│ 3 │ SMALL GROUP / FEW CUSTOMERS │
│ │ • 2-5 customers │
│ │ • Small team (3-5 people) │
│ │ • Non-critical system │
│ │ • Feature subset │
│ │ Response: Individual contributor, backlog item │
│ │ │
│ 2 │ INDIVIDUAL / SINGLE CUSTOMER │
│ │ • One customer │
│ │ • One person affected │
│ │ • Isolated system component │
│ │ • Edge case scenario │
│ │ Response: Standard support, ticket workflow │
│ │ │
│ 1 │ ISOLATED / THEORETICAL │
│ │ • Hypothetical scenario │
│ │ • No one currently affected │
│ │ • Test environment only │
│ │ • Not yet deployed │
│ │ Response: Log for monitoring, no action │
│ │ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Space Scoring by Dimension
D1: Customer (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Number/percentage of customers affected
| Space | Customer Count | Revenue % | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | All customers (100%) | 100% of revenue | Platform outage affecting all users |
| 9 | 75%+ of customers | 80%+ of revenue | Core feature failure |
| 8 | 50-75% of customers | 60-80% of revenue | Major product line issue |
| 7 | One segment (e.g., all enterprise) | 40-60% of revenue | Enterprise-tier bug |
| 6 | 20-30% of customers | 25-40% of revenue | Feature used by subset |
| 5 | 10-20% of customers | 15-25% of revenue | Product module issue |
| 4 | 5-10% of customers | 5-15% of revenue | Integration affecting some customers |
| 3 | 2-5 customers | 2-5% of revenue | Small cohort problem |
| 2 | 1 customer | <2% of revenue | Individual account issue |
| 1 | 0 customers (potential) | 0% | Hypothetical scenario |
Measurement:
Space Score = MIN(10, 1 + (Affected % ÷ 10))
Examples:
- 90% of customers affected: 1 + (90÷10) = 10
- 35% of customers affected: 1 + (35÷10) = 4.5 → round to 5
- 5% of customers affected: 1 + (5÷10) = 1.5 → round to 2Weighting consideration: In some businesses, revenue concentration matters more than customer count:
Space Score (Revenue-Weighted) =
(Customer Count Score × 0.4) + (Revenue % Score × 0.6)
Example:
- 2 customers affected (Score = 2)
- But they represent 40% of revenue (Score = 5)
- Weighted: (2 × 0.4) + (5 × 0.6) = 0.8 + 3.0 = 3.8 → round to 4D2: Employee (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Number/percentage of employees affected
| Space | Employee Count | Teams Affected | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | All employees (100%) | Entire organization | Company-wide policy change |
| 9 | 75%+ of employees | Most departments | Benefits system outage |
| 8 | 50-75% of employees | Multiple divisions | Shared service disruption |
| 7 | One division (30-50%) | All teams in division | Division restructuring |
| 6 | Multiple teams (20-30%) | 2-3 departments | Cross-functional tool failure |
| 5 | One department (10-20%) | Multiple teams | Department-specific issue |
| 4 | One team (10-20 people) | Single team | Team morale issue |
| 3 | Small group (3-5 people) | Subset of team | Project-specific stress |
| 2 | One person | Individual | Single employee issue |
| 1 | No one (potential) | N/A | Hypothetical workforce scenario |
Critical role multiplier:
If affected employees hold critical roles (e.g., single points of failure), increase Space score:
Adjusted Space = Base Space + Critical Role Bonus
Critical Role Bonus:
- Bus factor = 1 (irreplaceable): +2
- Executive/C-suite: +2
- Customer-facing (high visibility): +1
- Technical specialist (rare skill): +1
Example:
- 1 person affected (Base Space = 2)
- But: CTO with bus factor = 1
- Adjusted Space = 2 + 2 (executive) + 2 (bus factor) = 6D3: Revenue (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Dollar amount or percentage of revenue at risk
| Space | Revenue at Risk | ARR % | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Company-wide revenue | 100% | Existential crisis (bankruptcy) |
| 9 | Most revenue streams | 75%+ | Payment processing failure |
| 8 | Major revenue category | 50-75% | Core product line defect |
| 7 | Significant segment | 40-60% | Enterprise customer concentration |
| 6 | Material revenue | 25-40% | Product line underperformance |
| 5 | Moderate revenue | 15-25% | Feature set revenue impact |
| 4 | Small revenue subset | 5-15% | Minor product revenue |
| 3 | Minimal revenue | 2-5% | Niche offering |
| 2 | Single deal/customer | <2% | One contract at risk |
| 1 | Hypothetical revenue | 0% | Future opportunity (not yet revenue) |
Measurement:
Space Score = 1 + (Revenue at Risk % ÷ 10)
Example:
- $5M at risk out of $50M ARR = 10%
- Space Score = 1 + (10 ÷ 10) = 2Timing consideration: Near-term revenue risk scores higher than distant future:
Timing Multiplier:
- This quarter: 1.0× (no adjustment)
- Next quarter: 0.8×
- 6+ months out: 0.6×
- 12+ months out: 0.4×
Example:
- 30% revenue at risk (Base Space = 4)
- But risk is 12 months out
- Adjusted Space = 4 × 0.4 = 1.6 → round to 2D4: Regulatory (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Scope of compliance impact (processes, systems, jurisdictions)
| Space | Regulatory Scope | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | All operations, all jurisdictions | Company-wide license suspension |
| 9 | Multiple jurisdictions, core operations | Multi-state regulatory action |
| 8 | One jurisdiction, all operations | State-level enforcement (all facilities) |
| 7 | Multiple facilities/divisions | Regional compliance failure |
| 6 | One division, multiple processes | Division-specific audit failure |
| 5 | One department, core process | Critical process non-compliance |
| 4 | One process, multiple locations | Standard process deviation |
| 3 | One location, one process | Isolated compliance gap |
| 2 | Single instance, remediable | Documentation missing (one record) |
| 1 | Hypothetical exposure | Proactive gap assessment |
Public disclosure amplifier:
If regulatory issue is publicly disclosed, increase Space:
Public Disclosure Bonus: +2 to +4
- Internal only: +0
- Industry disclosure (peers know): +2
- Public filing (SEC, etc.): +3
- Media coverage: +4
Example:
- One facility compliance gap (Base Space = 3)
- But: Media coverage of violation
- Adjusted Space = 3 + 4 = 7D5: Quality (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Units/systems affected, customer exposure
| Space | Quality Scope | Units Affected | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | All production, all customers | 100% of units | Systemic design flaw, recall |
| 9 | All production, most customers | 75%+ of units | Manufacturing process failure |
| 8 | Major batch/release | 50-75% of units | Release version defect |
| 7 | One product line, all customers | One product line | Product-specific issue |
| 6 | Multiple batches/releases | 20-30% of units | Batch defect |
| 5 | One batch/release | 10-20% of units | Release-specific bug |
| 4 | Subset of production | 5-10% of units | Configuration-specific defect |
| 3 | Small batch | <5% of units | Lot-specific issue |
| 2 | Single unit | One customer | Individual unit failure |
| 1 | Test environment only | 0 customers | Caught before release |
Detection point adjustment:
Earlier detection = narrower scope (more containable):
Detection Multiplier:
- Customer-found (field): 1.0× (full scope impact)
- Customer-found (first use): 0.8×
- Internal QA (pre-release): 0.5×
- Developer testing: 0.3×
Example:
- 1000 units affected (Base Space = 6)
- But caught in internal QA (before customer exposure)
- Adjusted Space = 6 × 0.5 = 3D6: Operational (PerchIQX)
Population metric: Systems, processes, departments affected
| Space | Operational Scope | Systems Affected | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Entire operation halted | All critical systems | Complete infrastructure failure |
| 9 | Most operations affected | Core systems + dependencies | Data center outage |
| 8 | Cross-functional impact | Multiple core systems | ERP system failure |
| 7 | One division, all processes | Division-critical systems | Division-wide system outage |
| 6 | Multiple departments | 2-3 shared systems | Collaboration tool outage |
| 5 | One department, all processes | Department-critical system | Department system failure |
| 4 | One department, one process | Supporting system | Reporting system outage |
| 3 | One team, multiple processes | Team-specific tools | Team productivity tool issue |
| 2 | One team, one process | Single tool/system | Individual app malfunction |
| 1 | Test/dev environment | Non-production | Sandbox issue |
Business hours multiplier:
Impact during peak times scores higher:
Timing Multiplier:
- Peak business hours: 1.0×
- Normal hours: 0.8×
- Off-hours (nights/weekends): 0.6×
- Planned maintenance window: 0.3×
Example:
- 3 departments affected (Base Space = 6)
- But occurred at 2 AM on Sunday
- Adjusted Space = 6 × 0.6 = 3.6 → round to 4Scope Measurement Techniques
Population Counting
Direct count method:
Space Score = 1 + (Affected Count ÷ Total Population) × 9
Example (Customers):
- 45 customers affected
- 150 total customers
- Space = 1 + (45÷150) × 9 = 1 + 2.7 = 3.7 → round to 4System Coverage
Dependency analysis:
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ System A (affected) │
│ ├── Used by: Dept 1, Dept 2, Dept 3│
│ └── Dependencies: System B, System C│
│ │
│ Total impact: 3 departments │
│ 2 downstream systems │
│ Space Score: 6 │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘Revenue Weighting
For customer/revenue dimensions:
Weighted Space = (0.5 × Customer Count Score) + (0.5 × Revenue % Score)
Example:
- 10 customers affected out of 100 (10% → Score 2)
- Those 10 represent $8M of $20M ARR (40% → Score 5)
- Weighted Space = (0.5 × 2) + (0.5 × 5) = 1 + 2.5 = 3.5 → round to 4Multi-Dimensional Scope
When a problem affects multiple dimensions, calculate Space for each separately:
Example: Billing system outage
Customer (D1):
All customers unable to view invoices
Space = 10 (100% of customers)
Employee (D2):
Finance team (8 people) + Support team (12 people) involved
Space = 4 (20 employees out of 200 total)
Revenue (D3):
Payment processing delayed (100% of revenue flow)
Space = 10 (all revenue streams)
Operational (D6):
Billing system + dependencies (CRM, reporting)
Space = 7 (core business system)Don't average. Each dimension has its own Space score.
Scope Amplification Over Time
Scope can expand if not contained:
Hour 0: System outage (Space = 5, one department)
Hour 4: Dependencies fail (Space = 7, cross-functional)
Hour 12: Customers notice (Space = 9, most customers affected)Lesson: High Space scores demand containment to prevent further spread.
Scope vs. Urgency
Space (Perch) is NOT the same as Sound (Chirp):
| Scenario | Sound (Urgency) | Space (Scope) | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEO resignation | 9 | 2 | Urgent but isolated (1 person) |
| Company-wide email outage | 7 | 10 | Moderate urgency but everyone affected |
| Single customer lawsuit | 9 | 2 | Urgent but narrow scope |
| Gradual quality trend | 4 | 8 | Low urgency but broad impact |
Strategy:
- High Sound, Low Space: Rapid response, narrow team
- High Sound, High Space: All-hands, war room
- Low Sound, High Space: Systematic improvement, long-term plan
- Low Sound, Low Space: Backlog, standard workflow
PerchIQX Scoring Checklist
□ How many customers/people/systems are affected? (Count)
□ What percentage of total population? (Calculate %)
□ Is there revenue concentration? (Weight by revenue if applicable)
□ Are critical roles/systems involved? (Apply critical bonus)
□ Is this publicly visible? (Apply visibility amplifier)
□ What's the timing? (Peak hours vs. off-hours)
□ Has scope grown since detection? (Rescore if expanded)
Base Space: ___
Adjustments: ___ (amplifiers/multipliers)
───────────────
Final Space: ___Common Space Scoring Mistakes
| Mistake | Impact | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing count with percentage | Overestimates scope | Always calculate as % of total population |
| Ignoring revenue weighting | Misses concentration risk | Weight by revenue for customer/revenue dimensions |
| Not adjusting for critical roles | Underestimates impact | Apply critical role bonuses |
| Averaging across dimensions | Loses dimension-specific detail | Score each dimension separately |
| Static scoring (not updating) | Misses scope expansion | Rescore as scope changes |
Next Steps
Remember: The cormorant doesn't dive for a single fish when the whole school is there. Assess the full scope. 🪶