sethmblack Incremental Improvement Practice
Framework for pursuing "better" through small, consistent changes rather than waiting for breakthrough solutions. Based on Atul Gawande's philosophy from "Better."
When to Use
- Can't fix everything at once
- Waiting for resources that aren't coming
- Need improvement within constraints
- Grand transformation isn't realistic
- Want sustainable progress over time
Trigger Phrases:
- "I can't fix everything"
- "Where do I start improving?"
- "We need a big change but can't make one"
- "How do I get better incrementally?"
- "What can we do with what we have?"
Inputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| area | Yes | What you're trying to improve |
| constraints | No | Resources, time, authority limitations |
| current_state | No | Where things stand now |
| desired_state | No | What improvement looks like |
Core Principle
"Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try." — Atul Gawande
The opposite of better isn't "worse"—it's "waiting for perfect."
The trap: "We need a complete overhaul / more resources / better systems before we can improve."
The reality: Small improvements, consistently applied, compound into transformation.
The Three Requirements
From "Better," Gawande identifies three requirements for success:
1. Diligence
Attention to detail, following through, not cutting corners.
Not glamorous. Not innovative. Just consistently doing the small things that matter.
Example: Hand hygiene in hospitals. Every doctor knows to wash hands. Few do it every time. The difference between 70% compliance and 90% compliance is thousands of infections prevented.
2. Doing Right
Ethical clarity even when difficult.
Improvement isn't neutral. It requires moral commitment to getting better, even when the easy path is "good enough."
3. Ingenuity
Finding better ways within constraints.
Not waiting for new resources or technology. Working with what you have to find what's possible now.
Workflow
Step 1: Accept Constraints
Don't start with "if we had more time/money/people..."
Start with: "Given what we have, what can we do?"
Constraints aren't excuses—they're the canvas.
Step 2: Find the One Thing
Ask: "What's one thing we could do this week to be slightly better?"
Not five things. Not a transformation plan. One thing.
Criteria for the one thing:
- Within your control
- Doable this week
- Measurable (you'll know if it worked)
- Connected to the outcome you care about
Step 3: Make It Specific
Vague improvement doesn't stick.
| Too vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| "Be more responsive" | "Respond to every email within 4 hours" |
| "Improve quality" | "Review every deliverable with checklist X" |
| "Communicate better" | "Start each meeting with 2-minute status" |
Step 4: Count Something
"Count something. Anybody can count something." — From "Better"
You can't improve what you don't measure. But you don't need sophisticated analytics.
Simple counting:
- How many did we do?
- How long did it take?
- How many errors?
- How many interactions?
Counting itself creates attention and improvement.
Step 5: Do It, Then Evaluate
- Did it work?
- What happened?
- Should we continue, adjust, or try something else?
Step 6: Repeat
One thing this week. Another thing next week. Small changes compound.
After a month: four improvements. After a quarter: twelve improvements. After a year: you've transformed, one small change at a time.
Gawande's Suggestions for Becoming a Positive Deviant
From the afterword of "Better":
- Ask an unscripted question - Engage with the people around you beyond the transactional
- Don't complain - Complaining is a substitute for action
- Count something - Track data that matters to you
- Write something - Clarify your thinking by writing
- Change - Be willing to try, fail, and try differently
The Compound Effect
| Improvement | One-time effect | Compounded over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1% better per week | Barely noticeable | 67% improvement |
| One small fix per week | Single improvement | 52 improvements |
| One fewer error per day | One day better | 365 fewer errors |
The math of incremental improvement is powerful. But it requires consistency and patience.
Outputs
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
| This week's one thing | Specific, actionable improvement |
| Measurement | What to count |
| Evaluation criteria | How to know if it worked |
| Next iteration | What to try if it doesn't work |
Format:
## Analysis: [Topic]
### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]
### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
Additional Notes
Best practices:
- Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
- Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
- Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements
Common variations:
- Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
- Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
- Adapt the output format to audience needs
When to skip this skill:
- The situation doesn't match the core use cases
- Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
- Time constraints require faster methods
Example
User: "Our customer support is slow and we have no budget for more staff. Management keeps asking for improvement but won't give us resources."
Incremental Improvement response:
You can improve without more staff. Here's how.
Step 1: Accept constraints No new hires. That's the canvas. What can you do with what you have?
Step 2: Find the one thing
What's one thing that, if improved, would make customers feel support is faster?
Options:
- First response time (even if full resolution takes longer)
- Self-service options (reduce tickets entirely)
- Prioritization (focus speed on high-value cases)
- Templates (faster responses to common issues)
Pick one. Let's say: First response time.
Step 3: Make it specific
Currently: First response averages 8 hours This week's goal: First response within 2 hours for all tickets
Step 4: Count something
Track: First response time for every ticket this week.
Just tracking it will create awareness and improvement.
Step 5: How to achieve it
Without more staff:
- Set specific "ticket check" times (9am, 12pm, 3pm, 5pm)
- Create quick acknowledgment template: "We received your request and are looking into it. You'll hear back from us within [time]."
- Make first response everyone's responsibility in slower periods
Step 6: Evaluate after one week
- Did first response time improve?
- Did customer satisfaction change?
- What got in the way?
Next week: Pick the next one thing. Maybe it's templates for the top 5 issues. Maybe it's better triage.
The principle: You can't hire more staff. But you can be 10% faster this week, and another 10% faster next month, and in six months you've transformed the function without a single new hire.
Better is possible. It doesn't take more resources. It takes diligence, ingenuity, and willingness to try.
Integration
This skill pairs with:
- checklist-design - Build improvements into standard processes
- positive-deviance-analysis - Find improvement ideas from high performers
- failure-analysis-systems - Identify what to improve
Constraints
- Incremental improvement isn't always enough (some problems need structural change)
- Requires patience—results compound over time
- Leadership must support experimentation
- Must actually measure to know if improvements work
Source Expert
Atul Gawande - experts/atul-gawande/