I have a similar idea. I call it the "horizon". There is a certain amount of time where you can go off and do stuff that doesn't result in stake holder visibl

I have a similar idea. I call it the "horizon". There is a certain amount of time where you can go off and do stuff that doesn't result in stake holder visible change. How much time you've got depends a lot on the organisation, but I find that 2 weeks is a good rule of thumb. If you sail over that "horizon" your stakeholders lose sight of you and start to get worried. Ever day you spend over the horizon increases the risk of the stakeholders taking drastic action (from pressing the big, red "stop the presses" button and changing direction all the way to cancelling the project). The key is always to deliver value within that horizon. As long as you keep doing that regularly and predictably, usually nobody will care what else you do.