What does it mean that reconstruct context before making judgments?

When evaluating past decisions reconstruct the context that existed at the time.

Example: A product lead reviews a feature launch that missed targets by 40%. The team is demoralized. Everyone 'knew' the market wasn't ready. But the decision log from three months ago shows a different picture: competitor intelligence indicated a closing window, three customer pilots had shown strong adoption signals, and the alternative — waiting another quarter — carried its own risks that nobody now remembers weighing. The decision wasn't reckless. It was a rational bet given information that no longer feels relevant because the outcome has rewritten everyone's memory of the inputs.

Try this: Pick a decision you made in the past six months that didn't turn out as planned. Before evaluating it, write down everything you can remember about the conditions at the time: what you knew, what you didn't know, what pressures you faced, what alternatives you considered, and what evidence supported each option. Then — and only then — evaluate whether the decision was reasonable given that reconstructed context. Notice how different the evaluation feels compared to your initial judgment.