"What looks like a violation is often the only way the work gets done.
Pressure does something predictable: it narrows attention. In a cost-cutting push that targets redundancy, that narrowing turns into a demand for certainty you cannot honestly provide.
Under pressure, vague plans become brittle plans. The cost shows up later as rework and quiet blame, because no one can point to the chosen tradeoff. Make the signal observable, not philosophical, so you can act without debating intentions. Clarity is not certainty; it is a small commitment the team can execute without reopening the decision at every update.
Name the tradeoff in plain language: the win you want and the cost you accept. That is how you turn stress into clarity instead of theater. Keep it short enough to remember under stress.