Disperse
Cut into more pieces than needed so any two-thirds work; pull a third at random; if it breaks, spread it and try again.
A scratched CD still plays.
Seen in Terry Riley, In C, 1964
Try it on your work
Break the thing you're working on into more pieces than it needs, so that no single piece carries a whole function but any two-thirds of them together do. Remove a third at random. Stop when the remainder still works. If it does not, the function was concentrated; spread it and try again.
Write your project's argument across nine short paragraphs such that any six, in any order, carry it. Stop when you have removed three at random twice and the argument survived both times.
Distribute a critical capability across more people than it needs, so that no one holds it whole and any majority holds it entire. Stop when two people can be absent on the same day without the capability lapsing.
How it has been used
Erasure coding divides data into fragments and creates additional coded fragments so that the original can be reconstructed from many different subsets. Microsoft’s Azure storage systems use erasure codes to withstand missing or damaged storage units without keeping a complete copy in every location. Resilience comes from excess incomplete parts arranged so their combinations remain sufficient.
Where it leads
Grouped under Spread it across more people or parts