Suppose that's one way of doing things. I prefer working it all out in advance before jumping in to test. Then note, refine, test again. Rely on it working the first time off-paper in some cases. The theory is that you do not act on half-formed hypotheses, but on fully-formed and developed ideas.

I will not stop you from going the long way, if that is your prefrence, though. [Just don't be angry if he beats you to the punch, if you have a notion he likes.]

Then damn the ministry.