Find the focus, make your work clear.

Find a method for your next update. Make the facts, judgments and next steps clear.

How can you describe results without overstating them?

The situation

Fictional scenario

This project was extremely difficult and involved a lot of work. Aren’t those facts?

Those are judgments. First say what happened, when it happened and where the evidence is.

I’ll retain the events and records, and state my assessment separately instead of using adjectives as evidence.

What is getting in the way

Facts need objectivity, specificity and separate verification. Numbers can have unclear definitions; an event need not be quantified to be factual.

Method and tool

Make each statement inspectable

Check a broad assessment against three criteria. State each fact separately; association is not causation, and uncertainty remains explicit.

The method at a glance

Make each statement inspectable

Turn a broad assessment into an inspectable statement

Objective

Describe observable behavior or results and separate judgments; objectivity does not require quantification.

Specific

Specify who, when, what and the scope, with a record that can be checked.

Separately verifiable

Verify each fact separately; do not turn events occurring together into a causal claim.

Objective does not mean numeric; separately verifiable does not mean unrelated. Retain records, scope and the nature of each judgment.

bizthinkframe.com

Apply it to your own work

Copy the prompt and add your material to prepare a draft you can adapt.

View prompt

Use “Make each statement inspectable” with only my material.
Return “original statement — inspectable facts — judgments or items to verify”. Retain nonnumeric facts and do not infer causation from association.

Check this structure:
1. Objective: Describe observable behavior or results and separate judgments; objectivity does not require quantification.
2. Specific: Specify who, when, what and the scope, with a record that can be checked.
3. Separately verifiable: Verify each fact separately; do not turn events occurring together into a causal claim.

Separate facts, judgments, proposals and approvals. Mark missing information “To confirm”. Do not invent numbers, causes, owners, dates or agreement. Retain periods, units, denominators, scope and evidence gaps. The fictional example is not my evidence. End with up to three priority questions to verify.

My material:
[Paste records, goals, constraints and the response needed, with sensitive information removed.]