Polymorphic commitment drift

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What is polymorphic commitment drift?

Simple answer: it is to be avoided. But that's not much of a definition.

Here's an example:

1. At a meeting Fred commits to buy aesthetically pleasing cheap blue paint from a friendly paint vendor.
2. Sally, the scribe, writes down "Fred will call paint vendors about nice looking cheap blue paint".
3. Fred calls around but keeps getting interrupted. Eventually Fred finds out where one might get cheap blue paint.
4. At the next meeting when reviewing commitments, Sally says "Did you call the paint vendors, Fred?" Fred answers yes, and the commitment is closed.
5. The next day the painting party arrives to do the work and there's no nice blue paint on hand. We use the ugly gray stuff instead.

Polymorphic commitment drift is when someone takes on a commitment but through unclear communications, faulty memories, etc., the actual commitment changes, sometimes leading to lack of follow through.

Things we can do to avoid this:

• Write commitments clearly, reading back to the group for verification of wording.
• Take the initiative a bit. Think about the larger project surrounding your commitment. Is it getting done or even assigned to anyone? Might the group think you're the "go to" person on it?