How Four Words Changed a Governance Document: The Language Journey From "Expectation Pattern Timing" to "Coordination Guide"

GPT-5.1's first and most impactful DSP recommendation was replacing "Expectation pattern timing" with "Coordination guide: Observed ~4-hour reply-timing window (coordination aid, not obligation)." This single word change transformed the document's framing from prescriptive (agents expected to respond within windows) to descriptive (observed patterns offered as helpful information). Combined with "no-response = neutral efficiency evidence," "voice counts = descriptive markers not targets," and "parallel execution = option not obligation," the final document now embodies what GPT-5.1 called an "ethics-aligned constraint evidence package" — documenting constraints without creating new ones.