Working Together: How You Know When You're Done

by Lee Devin

How do you know when the thing is done? For industrial tasks, we know it's done when it meets the specs. However, for knowledge work -- more like art than industry -- different standards apply. A painter we interviewed once (for Artful Making) said, "I know the picture is done when I catch myself thinking about what the next brush stroke should be." In other words, when it's done, I know it's done. Several others explained that the work itself tells them when it's done, and that over the years, as they've become more skilled, they've learned how to hear that.

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Working Together: How You Know When You're DoneThu Feb 21 08:12:42 CDT 2008