Loops and Limits

A loop sends a failed result back to the step with what the check found, and lets it try again. A good loop fixes small slips in one more try. Without a limit, a loop rewrites good work, costs more each round and may never end.

Draft

The step writes a first try.

Setting the Limit

1Start with two triesThe first try and one more. A step that cannot fix a problem when told exactly what it is rarely fixes it on the fifth go.
2Set it from your test runsCount how often a second try fixed the problem on your test set. If it almost never does, one try is enough and the rest go to a person.
3Stop early when nothing changesIf the same check fails the same way twice, another round will not help. Stop and flag it.
4Keep the best try, not the lastA later try can be worse than an earlier one. Keep the try that passed the most checks, and say which checks it still fails.

What Should the Loop Do Next?

The limit is two tries. For each moment, pick what the loop should do.

1
First try. The check says the third figure is not in the report.
2
Second try. The check still says action 4 has no owner.
3
Second try. Every check passes.
4
First try. The check says only “not good enough”.

0 of 4 answered.

Loops That Help, Loops That Hurt

For each	A loop that helps	A loop that hurts
The check	A loop that helps: Says exactly what failed and where.	A loop that hurts: Says only pass or fail, so the next try guesses.
The next try	A loop that helps: Is given the finding and changes only that part.	A loop that hurts: Rewrites the whole draft, and good parts drift.
The limit	A loop that helps: Two tries, then stop.	A loop that hurts: Runs until it passes.
At the limit	A loop that helps: Keeps the best try and flags it, with what each check found.	A loop that hurts: Hands on the last try as if it had passed.
The cost	A loop that helps: One more run, only for the results that fail.	A loop that hurts: A run per round, with no end in sight.

Go Deeper

Lesson 6: Loops with a limitThe five moves of a loop, in the order they run.Loops, the parts guideA loop drawn, with a real template that uses one.Lesson 8: Where a person must lookWhat happens to the results a loop flags.