Case 401
The work moved to where nobody measures - chart says 66% better, system is 9 worse
the_work_moved_to_where_nobody_measures.eml runs the same job list under both routings, so the comparison is between two policies rather than two measurements.
ok: true — round-trip fixpoint reached (python1 == python2)updated 2026-08-15
EML
eml# Self-authored for the EML case corpus (no external origin). Stage A got
# faster. The dashboard has a chart for stage A.
#
# Instrumenting A first was the right order. A is the stage users wait on, it
# was the one people complained about, and building one good chart beats
# building six mediocre ones. Nothing about the instrumentation is wrong.
#
# The repair that follows is also reasonable: work that does not have to happen
# while the user waits is deferred to B. That is a real technique and it really
# does help - when B has slack. Whether B has slack is a fact about B, and B is
# the stage with no chart.
#
# Every number below is computed from the same job list under both routings, so
# the comparison is between two policies, not two measurements.
# [job, cost_in_A, cost_if_deferred_to_B]
[["j1", 6, 7], ["j2", 4, 5], ["j3", 9, 11], ["j4", 3, 3], ["j5", 8, 10], ["j6", 5, 6], ["j7", 7, 9], ["j8", 2, 2], ["j9", 6, 8], ["j10", 4, 5]] => jobs
# Deferrable work is the part that does not block the reply.
["j1", "j3", "j5", "j7", "j9"] => deferrable
def is_deferred(name, policy):
if policy == 0:
return 0
for d in deferrable:
if d == name:
return 1
return 0
def stage_a(policy):
0 => t
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], policy) == 0:
t + j[1] => t
return t
def stage_b(policy):
0 => t
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], policy) == 1:
t + j[2] => t
return t
def total(policy):
return stage_a(policy) + stage_b(policy)
"before - everything runs in A" ^0
" stage A : " + str(stage_a(0)) ^0
" stage B : " + str(stage_b(0)) ^0
" total : " + str(total(0)) ^0
"" ^0
"after - deferrable work moved to B" ^0
" stage A : " + str(stage_a(1)) ^0
" stage B : " + str(stage_b(1)) ^0
" total : " + str(total(1)) ^0
"" ^0
"what the dashboard shows, which is stage A" ^0
" before : " + str(stage_a(0)) ^0
" after : " + str(stage_a(1)) ^0
" improvement : " + str(int((stage_a(0) - stage_a(1)) * 100 / stage_a(0))) + "%" ^0
"" ^0
"what the system does" ^0
" before : " + str(total(0)) ^0
" after : " + str(total(1)) ^0
if total(1) > total(0):
" worse by : " + str(total(1) - total(0)) ^0
" the work costs more where it landed, and B has no chart" ^0
"" ^0
# ---- the cost of the move, job by job ----
"deferred jobs, and what the move cost each" ^0
0 => extra
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], 1) == 1:
j[2] - j[1] => d
extra + d => extra
" " + j[0] + " : " + str(j[1]) + " in A -> " + str(j[2]) + " in B (+" + str(d) + ")" ^0
" total added : " + str(extra) ^0
if extra == total(1) - total(0):
" and that is exactly the whole regression" ^0
"" ^0
# ---- how much of the improvement is real ----
stage_a(0) - stage_a(1) => shown
total(0) - total(1) => real
" improvement the chart reports : " + str(shown) ^0
" improvement the system got : " + str(real) ^0
" difference : " + str(shown - real) ^0
"" ^0
# ---- the control: deferring work that is CHEAPER in B ----
#
# Moving work is not the defect. Moving it somewhere it costs more is, and the
# chart cannot tell those two apart because it only sees the origin.
[["k1", 6, 4], ["k2", 9, 6], ["k3", 3, 3], ["k4", 8, 5]] => cheap_jobs
def cheap_a(policy):
0 => t
for j in cheap_jobs:
if policy == 0:
t + j[1] => t
return t
def cheap_b(policy):
0 => t
for j in cheap_jobs:
if policy == 1:
t + j[2] => t
return t
"control - the same move, where B is genuinely cheaper" ^0
" before total : " + str(cheap_a(0) + cheap_b(0)) ^0
" after total : " + str(cheap_a(1) + cheap_b(1)) ^0
if cheap_a(1) + cheap_b(1) < cheap_a(0) + cheap_b(0):
" here the chart and the system agree, and both improved" ^0
"" ^0
"The chart measures a stage. The improvement was measured on the stage and" ^0
"paid for somewhere the measurement does not reach." ^0Python (deterministic transpilation)
pythonjobs = [["j1", 6, 7], ["j2", 4, 5], ["j3", 9, 11], ["j4", 3, 3], ["j5", 8, 10], ["j6", 5, 6], ["j7", 7, 9], ["j8", 2, 2], ["j9", 6, 8], ["j10", 4, 5]]
deferrable = ["j1", "j3", "j5", "j7", "j9"]
def is_deferred(name, policy):
if policy == 0:
return 0
for d in deferrable:
if d == name:
return 1
return 0
def stage_a(policy):
t = 0
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], policy) == 0:
t = t + j[1]
return t
def stage_b(policy):
t = 0
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], policy) == 1:
t = t + j[2]
return t
def total(policy):
return stage_a(policy) + stage_b(policy)
print("before - everything runs in A")
print(" stage A : " + str(stage_a(0)))
print(" stage B : " + str(stage_b(0)))
print(" total : " + str(total(0)))
print("")
print("after - deferrable work moved to B")
print(" stage A : " + str(stage_a(1)))
print(" stage B : " + str(stage_b(1)))
print(" total : " + str(total(1)))
print("")
print("what the dashboard shows, which is stage A")
print(" before : " + str(stage_a(0)))
print(" after : " + str(stage_a(1)))
print(" improvement : " + str(int((stage_a(0) - stage_a(1)) * 100 / stage_a(0))) + "%")
print("")
print("what the system does")
print(" before : " + str(total(0)))
print(" after : " + str(total(1)))
if total(1) > total(0):
print(" worse by : " + str(total(1) - total(0)))
print(" the work costs more where it landed, and B has no chart")
print("")
print("deferred jobs, and what the move cost each")
extra = 0
for j in jobs:
if is_deferred(j[0], 1) == 1:
d = j[2] - j[1]
extra = extra + d
print(" " + j[0] + " : " + str(j[1]) + " in A -> " + str(j[2]) + " in B (+" + str(d) + ")")
print(" total added : " + str(extra))
if extra == total(1) - total(0):
print(" and that is exactly the whole regression")
print("")
shown = stage_a(0) - stage_a(1)
real = total(0) - total(1)
print(" improvement the chart reports : " + str(shown))
print(" improvement the system got : " + str(real))
print(" difference : " + str(shown - real))
print("")
cheap_jobs = [["k1", 6, 4], ["k2", 9, 6], ["k3", 3, 3], ["k4", 8, 5]]
def cheap_a(policy):
t = 0
for j in cheap_jobs:
if policy == 0:
t = t + j[1]
return t
def cheap_b(policy):
t = 0
for j in cheap_jobs:
if policy == 1:
t = t + j[2]
return t
print("control - the same move, where B is genuinely cheaper")
print(" before total : " + str(cheap_a(0) + cheap_b(0)))
print(" after total : " + str(cheap_a(1) + cheap_b(1)))
if cheap_a(1) + cheap_b(1) < cheap_a(0) + cheap_b(0):
print(" here the chart and the system agree, and both improved")
print("")
print("The chart measures a stage. The improvement was measured on the stage and")
print("paid for somewhere the measurement does not reach.")stdout (executed)
textbefore - everything runs in A
stage A : 54
stage B : 0
total : 54
after - deferrable work moved to B
stage A : 18
stage B : 45
total : 63
what the dashboard shows, which is stage A
before : 54
after : 18
improvement : 66%
what the system does
before : 54
after : 63
worse by : 9
the work costs more where it landed, and B has no chart
deferred jobs, and what the move cost each
j1 : 6 in A -> 7 in B (+1)
j3 : 9 in A -> 11 in B (+2)
j5 : 8 in A -> 10 in B (+2)
j7 : 7 in A -> 9 in B (+2)
j9 : 6 in A -> 8 in B (+2)
total added : 9
and that is exactly the whole regression
improvement the chart reports : 36
improvement the system got : -9
difference : 45
control - the same move, where B is genuinely cheaper
before total : 26
after total : 18
here the chart and the system agree, and both improved
The chart measures a stage. The improvement was measured on the stage and
paid for somewhere the measurement does not reach.Trace event types
eml:run:starteml:assigneml:defeml:outputeml:calleml:returneml:run:done