Short journal · Original editorial · A kinder measure of progress
A discarded draft contains one valuable sentence.
Progress can be described without making every attempt a score. Choose a feature you can inspect and compare it with an earlier attempt in a fair context. A changed method, a clearer question, or a useful limit may matter more than speed.
Carry that sentence forward and describe what the attempt taught.
Keep the original situation in view. A method that solves a different problem is still a detour, however attractive it looks.
Try a question
What would you notice after trying this in one small, real situation?