Good Enough

Abstract:     
“Good enough,” we often tell ourselves when we’ve completed a project.

“Good enough,” we may say as we hand over our work to another team member or a client.

What do we mean when we make that declaration? Are we saying it with some amount of frustration, as in “It will have to do, because I’ve had it”? Are we really saying quite the opposite of our words, that what we’ve done should be better because we haven’t given it our best? Or are we simply acknowledging that we’ve spent as much effort as is required for a particular task and that it’s time to move on to other things? It depends. Good enough means different things to different people at different times.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 4

Keywords: distinction, good enough

working papers series