Wikipedia:Avoid instruction creep

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While this essay is not a policy or guideline itself, it is intended to supplement Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy. Please update the page as needed, or discuss it on the talk page.

Shortcut: WP:CREEP

Instruction creep occurs when instructions increase in size over time until they are unmanageable. It is an insidious disease, originating from ignorance of the KISS principle and resulting in overly complex procedures that are often misunderstood, followed with great irritation, or ignored.

The fundamental fallacy of instruction creep is thinking that people read instructions. What's more, many bureaucracies also arise with the deliberate intent to be alternatives to regulations; this is almost always noticed by the other side, and tends to antagonize. It tends to antagonize even when it appears to the instigator that he's acting with proper intent.

Instruction creep is common in complex organizations where rules and guidelines are created by changing groups of people over extended periods of time.

1 Instruction creep on Wikipedia
2 Avoiding instruction creep
3 See also
4 Source

[edit] Instruction creep on Wikipedia

Instruction creep begins when a well-meaning user thinks "This page would be better if everyone were supposed to do this" and adds more requirements.

Procedures are popular to suggest but unpopular to follow, due to the effort to find, read, learn and actually follow the complex procedures.

Page instructions should be pruned regularly. Gratuitous requirements should be removed as soon as they are added. All new policies should be regarded as instruction creep until firmly proven otherwise.

[edit] Avoiding instruction creep

For proposed new instructions, instruction creep can be avoided if all of the following hold:

There is a good indication of an actual problem (as opposed to a hypothetical or a perceived problem)
The proposed instructions truly solve this problem (as opposed to treating symptoms or making symbolic gestures)
The instructions have little or no undesirable side effects (such as false positives, overcomplexity, or unnecessary prohibitions)