Yet this is not always the case, consider that the problem may not be the striving towards increased efficiency but the materials utilised in striving for it. No matter how hard we try, the basic truth is that any process in which people are involved in, has inherent limitations because of the human elements.

It is interesting and paradoxical that the human animal to function efficiently must have periods of rest and even diversion. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter to complete a project due the next day? The result is fatigue and usually not the best work. Side effects include emotional shifts (moods) and a distorted view of the finish result.

Well now extrapolate that to a solid 6 days with only 6 hours sleep and 3 of those hours on the very first night. Yes it can be done, no I don’t recommend it. The work becomes numbing and often and luckily the higher functioning work which involves higher mental skills such as thought are in the first days. The result is very sever fatigue and a case of diminishing returns, where version control becomes a haze and the final piece of work suffers from the lack of a clear view. The human body can be pushed but it pushes back hard, after such a task it takes months for the body to return to a state of normalcy.

OK the above extreme example is ridiculous but highlights the fact that tasks can not be optimised infinitely.