Skip to content
Get in touch
A blue process moves from checklist to gears to document and green check. A dashed pink path branches from the document through a cross and repair tools, then loops back to the starting checklist.
Reviewed visual · version 2

RS Glossary

Rework Loop

A rework loop occurs when work must return to an earlier step because something was incomplete, incorrect, unclear, missing, or rejected.

Review state
Reviewed in POC
Freshness
Current
Version
2
  • rework-loop

Remember it this wayForward, back, fix, repeat.

In plain language

Work moves forward, then gets sent back because something must be corrected, completed, clarified, or approved before it can continue.

Why it matters

Rework loops are one of the clearest signs of friction.

They often reveal input problems, unclear requirements, missing validation, or decision criteria that appear too late.

Example

A customer request is sent back to intake because the original form did not include the job location.

Common misconception

Not every return to an earlier step is harmful rework. Planned review and deliberate iteration can improve the result; a rework loop repeats avoidable work because a requirement, input, decision, or check failed.

Related terms

Not connected yet.

Sources

  • ASQ, "DMAIC Process"documenting the current process, identifying critical inputs, and finding causes of poor performance.
  • ASQ, "Standard Work"process variation as a source of mistakes, inspection, and rework.

Learn more

Public history

29 recorded events · 29 public summaries

  1. Existing glossary content was moved into the unified source-of-truth structure without changing its learner-facing body.

  2. A proposal was opened for section-level human review while preserving the current version.

  3. A human reviewer opened a proposed revision while preserving the current approved or captured version.

  4. definition approved by a human reviewer.

  5. plain-language-explanation returned for revision.

  6. why-it-matters approved by a human reviewer.

  7. example approved by a human reviewer.

  8. common-misconception returned for revision.

  9. remember-it-this-way returned for revision.

  10. related-terms approved by a human reviewer.

  11. sources returned for revision.

  12. learn-more returned for revision.

  13. Requested wording was prepared without changing approved or existing sections.

  14. Radar reviewed the pending plain-language-explanation section for human consideration.

  15. Radar reviewed the pending common-misconception section for human consideration.

  16. Radar reviewed the pending remember-it-this-way section for human consideration.

  17. Radar reviewed the pending sources section for human consideration.

  18. Radar reviewed the pending learn-more section for human consideration.

  19. plain-language-explanation approved by a human reviewer.

  20. common-misconception approved by a human reviewer.

  21. remember-it-this-way approved by a human reviewer.

  22. sources approved by a human reviewer.

  23. learn-more approved by a human reviewer.

  24. plain-language-explanation approved wording became the current section text.

  25. common-misconception approved wording became the current section text.

  26. remember-it-this-way approved wording became the current section text.

  27. sources approved wording became the current section text.

  28. learn-more approved wording became the current section text.

  29. All section gates are approved; content version 2 is now a fully approved term.

Source: vault/Glossary/terms/rework-loop/term.md · sha256:5da76cbeaa09a00aa95df9fe584b1bcae2cf6832514ec19ada18a52409e74090 · Release: rs-glossary-glossary-team-poc-0.5.5-2026-09-02