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Questions

How do I know when I have enough information to move?

Move when the objective is shared, the first divergence is understood, and every requirement for the current version has an intentional resolution. You do not need perfect certainty.

Why people ask this

Moving too early creates rework. Waiting for complete certainty creates a different kind of paralysis. The useful question is whether the work required for this decision is complete.

My answer

Each phase of Past the Obvious™ has an exit.

Think ends when your brain stops naturally surfacing relevant knowledge. Define ends when people can describe the same destination in their own words. Diagnose ends when you cannot trace the problem further back. Design ends when every requirement associated with the issue has a complete resolution.

At that point, execution should not be where the hard thinking happens. It should be where the thinking gets built. Reality still gets a chance to disagree through validation, but future possibilities do not need to interrupt the current version.

Common mistake

Confusing more ideas with better preparation.

Additional thinking is useful only while it improves the original objective or resolves a real requirement.

Try this

Ask: Is the destination shared? Is the cause understood? Is every current requirement resolved? If yes, you have probably earned the right to move.

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Go deeper

Related Method chapter

Read Execute

Build what was intentionally designed.

Continue

Put it into practice

Turn the request into a usable next step

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Next Step

Past the Obvious™

Six phases for organizing the way you think, from first question to handoff.

Learn the Method