Field Note — FN-004

When Exceptions Become the Rule

One-line: When “temporary” workarounds never expire, exceptions compound into the operating system—and the original rules stop meaning anything.
Pattern: Exception Drift
Primary failure surface: Correction loops

The Pattern

No single decision breaks the system. Instead, small carve-outs accumulate until “normal” is whatever the exception allows.

What it looks like

• Emergency policies that never sunset
• Workarounds that become permanent dependencies
• Rules applied selectively based on urgency or politics
• Oversight fatigue (“it’s not worth the fight”)
• Drift without a visible decision point

Failure mechanism

Incrementalism avoids resistance. People accept small exceptions because each one seems rational. Over time, the baseline shifts—and safeguards lose their grip.

Minimum viable controls

Verification

• Exception counting (volume, duration, impact)
• Bypass-rate tracking (how often controls are skipped)

Counterweights

• Renewal friction: exceptions must be re-justified publicly
• Separation of approval roles (requester ≠ approver)

Correction loops

• Sunset clauses by default
• Routine rollback (unused exceptions die automatically)
• Drift thresholds trigger review (not feelings, numbers)

Proof you’re controlling it

• Exceptions expire more often than they renew
• Bypass rates trend down, not up
• “Urgency” stops being a blanket override

Where it shows up

Emergency powers, procurement shortcuts, security bypasses, platform moderation, enterprise policy—anywhere “temporary” is convenient.

Related Field Notes

• FN-001: When Proof Becomes Performative (Verification)
• FN-002: When Authority Dissolves Permission (Authority)

Related Patterns

Exception Drift • Oversight Theater • Crisis as Audit