Two Clocks
What happens to the decision while I’m waiting?
Situation
Waiting may bring useful information, but the available options may change before it arrives.
The idea
Delaying a decision changes both what we know and what we can still do. Waiting is useful when the information we expect to gain justifies the costs and changes to our options.
Useful when
Waiting for customer requirementsDelaying a difficult-to-reverse commitmentDeciding whether to run another experimentActing before an opportunity expires
Watch for
Time alone does not produce useful information. The two clocks are a metaphor, not directly comparable rates; ask whether the expected learning could change the decision and justify the cost of waiting.
Where this came from
Startups
Lineage
Builds on the discussion of optionality and reversibility in Kirk/Spock by examining how information and available options change while a decision is delayed.