Determination Archive
Selected determinations from the public archive. All identifying information withheld. The expectations are real.
Submitted expectation: Expectation that new hire would 'hit the ground running.'
Determination: Determination: Unreasonable. Adjusted expectation: New hire will walk at a moderate pace for 60 to 90 days before achieving a light jog. Running is projected for Q3 at earliest.
Submitted expectation: Expectation that a meeting would end on time.
Determination: Determination: Optimistic. Adjusted expectation: The meeting will end within 15 minutes of the scheduled end time if no new topics are introduced in the final 5 minutes. This condition is rarely met.
Submitted expectation: Expectation that the renovation would be completed by the original deadline.
Determination: Determination: Aspirational. Adjusted expectation: The renovation will be substantially complete within 6 to 8 weeks of the revised deadline, which has not yet been issued. A revised deadline will be issued.
Submitted expectation: Expectation that an email marked 'urgent' would receive a response within 24 hours.
Determination: Determination: Generally Reasonable. Response within 24 hours is typical for marked-urgent communications in professional settings. Adjusted expectation: Response within 24 to 48 hours. The word 'urgent' is used frequently enough to have lost specificity.
Submitted expectation: Expectation that feedback would be 'constructive' and 'actionable.'
Determination: Determination: Unreasonable. The terms 'constructive' and 'actionable' are aspirational. Adjusted expectation: feedback will be sincere and contain at least one specific observation. Whether it is actionable is a secondary determination.