Monk-e-Wrenched / Sample satire

The Committee for Spontaneous Innovation

All unplanned breakthroughs must now be submitted six weeks in advance.

A robed monkey holds an oversized wrench beside a machine with one red gear — Monk-e-Wrenched · Editorial illustration

An entirely reasonable announcement

The committee is delighted to announce that spontaneous innovation is now a strategic priority. A working group has been established to determine when it may occur.

All unexpected discoveries must be entered into the Unexpected Discovery Register before they are discovered. Discoveries made without prior authorization will be classified as administrative misunderstandings.

Please think outside the box. The box must remain inside the approved thinking area.

Meanwhile, in the workshop

Someone has built the thing. This has caused considerable concern. There was no kickoff meeting, no steering committee, and the prototype appears to work.

A retrospective has been scheduled to ensure this does not happen again.