The hidden micro-steps that mean things are done twice

Rework rarely comes from big mistakes.

It usually comes from tiny things that were never made visible.

A step that lives in someone’s head. A check that “normally” happens. An assumption everyone thinks someone else is doing.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing obviously broken.

But over time, those hidden micro-steps quietly create frustration.

Work comes back not quite done. Questions pop up late. People redo things they thought were finished.

No one’s careless. No one’s incapable.

The work just wasn’t fully defined.

Where rework really starts

Most teams have a version of the process they talk about and another version that actually happens.

The gap between the two is where rework lives.

That gap is made up of micro-steps like:

• Who checks this before it’s sent

• What “ready” actually means

• What needs to be true before the next person starts

• What gets reviewed quietly but never written down

They’re small. They feel obvious to the person doing them.

So they don’t get shared.

Why this gets worse as you grow

When teams are small, people fill in the gaps instinctively. They ask across the desk. They fix things on the fly.

As work speeds up and more people get involved, those invisible steps don’t scale.

Instead of flow, you get:

• Interruptions

• Clarification loops

• “Can you just…” messages

• Work bouncing backwards

It feels like the team isn’t listening.

In reality, the work was never fully specified.

The quiet fix

This isn’t about adding more process.

It’s about making the last 10 percent visible.

Not a big overhaul. Not a new system.

Just noticing:

• Where work regularly pauses

• Where people hesitate

• Where someone always steps in “at the end”

Those moments are clues.

They point to micro-steps that need naming.

Once they’re visible, rework drops quickly. Not because people try harder. But because they’re no longer guessing.

One thing to notice this week

Watch for the task that nearly works every time.

Ask yourself:

What tiny step is being assumed here?

That’s usually the fix.