Surface Intent

There are two kinds of intent in any change. The intent already sitting in what exists, and the intent you are about to express. Most avoidable mistakes — the duplicate rule, the helper that already existed, the design that talks past the one in place — come from skipping the first. You act before you have surfaced what is already there. So this skill has two beats, and the first one comes first.

Beat 1 — Before you act, surface what is already there

You are about to add or change something. Before you write it, find out what the system already does about it. Do not assume; look.

1. Name it in one line. Say plainly what you are about to add or change, and the purpose it serves. "A rule that claims must be checkable." "A helper that formats a date." One sentence. If you cannot say it in one line, you do not yet understand it well enough to add it.