Chapter 26

Improving

Have you ever gone bowling? If not, you ought to give it a try. The goal is to knock down all 10 pins in two tries. You study the pins at the end of the lane, take four steps, roll the ball, and watch to see how many you knock over. Between frames, you naturally evaluate how you bowled, assessing what worked and what didn’t. Then you make a plan and try again.

The inquiry process also involves evaluation. When you’re working on a project, you consider how it’s turning out. You ask yourself whether it’s what you hoped for, and you often get a second opinion. Then you go about changing things and revising parts in order to reach your goal. This chapter discusses the important step of evaluating and improving your work.