Minutes Concerning Small Improvement Loop
A document described as nearly done has received forty-three small revisions since it was described as nearly done.
REPORTING PERIOD: January 20 through February 28 DOCUMENT STATUS: Nearly done (persistent) SUBMITTED BY: The person who keeps making minor improvements because finishing would expose the work to judgment
Overview
The document was described as "almost ready" on January 20. It remains almost ready. In the intervening nineteen days, it has been opened thirty-one times, edited twenty-six of those times, and closed without submission on all thirty-one occasions.
Improvement Log (selected entries)
January 20: Opening paragraph revised to begin with a stronger sentence. January 21: Opening paragraph returned to original form; the revision was stronger but felt "too confident." January 22: Subheadings reformatted. January 23: Subheadings removed. The document is "not that kind of document." January 25: New section added addressing a point the author noticed had been omitted. January 28: New section partially removed because it now felt like it was covering too much ground. February 1: References formatted consistently. February 4: Sentence in paragraph 4 shortened by three words. February 7: Three words restored. February 11: Conclusion rewritten. February 14: Conclusion reviewed. The conclusion was fine before. February 19: Typographic adjustments. February 24: The document was read start to finish for the first time in several days. It was noted to be "pretty good, actually." February 25 through 28: Four additional revisions, specific changes not documented.
Under the governing rule, a task may be delayed if the delay can be renamed planning, setup, research, or reset.
Current Assessment
The document is better than it was. It is also not done. These two facts have coexisted for nineteen days.
The delay is justified as strategic: the document should be submitted at the right moment, which has not yet arrived. The strategy has not changed in nineteen days. The right moment has not arrived.
Recommended Next Step
Submit the document. The next revision will be possible after submission. The document cannot be revised from inside a holding pattern.
Status of Recommended Next Step
Under consideration.