Value Added

At my day job, I am a project manager. It works because it covers the analytical/ bossy side if me. A question I frequently find myself asking my teams when they add a task or other effort to the project is 'How does this add value?'

As I drove home today, I thought about this question and my prior blog about outlines and character sketches and really to writing in general. This is probably a question we should be asking ourselves when we write.

How does this add value?

Does creating an outline or character sketches add value? What I've read indicates they do for some writers, not for others and at a certain point for others.

Shouldn't it be a question we ask ourselves frequently when writing and more so as we are editing?  Does this description add value? Does this scene, action or character add value?  Maybe we should be asking this question a lot.

Thoughts?