When it is not necessary to make a decision, it is necessary not to make a decision.
Falkland's rule from around 1640, and the discipline it demands is unusual: it forbids acting when action would be premature, which is harder than it sounds for anyone under pressure to appear decisive.
In practice
- A team defers naming a delivery date until the discovery work is finished, and is criticised for indecision by people who would have criticised the wrong date.
- A doctor who declines to diagnose before the second test looks less confident than one who commits, and is more often right.