The hidden cost of unclear internal docs
Many teams assume their biggest bottleneck is speed.
Often, it’s clarity.
Not clarity in the abstract sense, but in the everyday language people use when assigning work.
“Can you take a look at this?”
“Let’s make this stronger.”
“Needs improvement.”
These phrases are common, polite, and inefficient.
They shift the cognitive burden onto the recipient, who now has to interpret:
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What outcome is expected?
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What constraints exist?
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What “good” actually looks like in this context?
The result is predictable:
People produce different versions of “good,” revisions multiply, and frustration grows quietly.
Clearer internal documentation doesn’t require heavy process. It often starts with simple structure:
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State the goal in one sentence
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Define the audience
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Name the constraint (time, depth, tone, format)
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Describe what “done” means
When expectations are visible, work becomes easier to evaluate, easier to hand off, and easier to improve.
Clarity isn’t a personality trait.
It’s a habit teams can design for.
