My answer is similar to yours wrt the question about the gear box lube oil levels.
With the gear box the rule of thumb is follow the manual and if someone is not doing that ask they why. There are two possible reasons; either they are stupid and/or lazy or they have solid explanation as to why the manual can be disregarded in this instance.
Stability on the car ship can be a bit complicated so our rule of thumb is use the stability software but maintain a margin of safety in case of errors. If those rules are not followed (for example changes well within the margin of error) there should be a solid and knowledgeable explanation.