September 20, 2014 at 12:02PM
"[B]eing efficient rather than thorough may bring its own rewards, at least until the lack of thoroughness catches up." #readingToday

One consequence of underspecification is that it is uncertain both how long it will take to do something and how much time is available, because it is unknown if and when there will be an interruption of what is being done or a new demand to attention. It therefore makes sense to reduce the time spent on doing something, and through this create some slack or spare time. The slack is valuable both because it provides a buffer that can be used if an unanticipated demand arises, and because it can be used to think about performance, i.e., it provides an opportunity to improve and to learn. On a different level, being efficient rather than thorough may bring its own social and monetary rewards, at least until the lack of thoroughness catches up.

The ETTO Principle, Erik Hollnagel