Calibration
Under, just right, over.
| Situation | Under | Just Right | Over |
|---|---|---|---|
| A weekly status that is all green | Treats the green boxes as the update. Does not open a single item to see the work behind it. | Samples the two or three items that would hurt next week if they were false, traces those to the actual work, and leaves the rest once the sample holds. | Reopens every line until the owner spends the next day rebuilding the status instead of doing the work. |
| A teammate says they already checked | Accepts the assurance and never looks at the source they used. | Asks to see the source once, confirms the check was real, and then lets them own the next ones. | Rechecks their work in the room every time. They stop checking themselves because it will be redone anyway. |
| Approving a purchase | Signs because the amount looks familiar or the requester is trusted. Does not open the quote. | Reads the quote and the alternatives, asks the one or two questions that could change the buy, and then signs or sends it back. | Rebuilds the vendor comparison from scratch and holds the order. The team misses the window they needed the thing for. |
| A handoff between teams | Accepts the summary note and never opens the artifacts being handed over. | Opens the artifacts the next team will use this week, names the gaps that would stall them, and then lets the handoff go. | Rewrites the other team's package before taking it. Both teams wait on a polish pass that was not in the plan. |
| A launch checklist | Marks lines done from memory. Does not open the evidence next to each item. | Verifies the few items that would hurt customers if they were false, then ships on the rest of the list. | Demands a live walkthrough of every checkbox. The launch window closes while the team restages work that was already finished. |
| A vendor claim | Repeats the vendor's number in the internal update. Does not compare it to our own records. | Checks the claim against a week of our own records, names any gap, and then decides whether to keep, push, or drop the vendor. | Opens a full history audit before the next conversation. The renewal or cutover sits while the audit keeps growing. |
| A ping asking for a quick approve | Replies yes without opening the attachment. | Opens the attachment, checks the part that cannot be undone, and answers the same day. | Holds the ping overnight to reread the whole thread. The person who needed the approve misses their cutoff. |
| A deadline that slipped | Takes the new date and does not look at what actually stalled. | Traces the slip to the real blocker, names it, and resets only what that blocker requires. | Audits the whole plan from the first task. The team spends the week explaining history instead of clearing the blocker. |