What does it mean that deprecation is part of evolution?

Some schemas should be marked as outdated and replaced rather than patched indefinitely.

Example: Your team has patched its sprint planning process fourteen times — adding new rules, exceptions to rules, and exceptions to exceptions. Nobody remembers why half the rules exist. The process is not evolving. It is accreting scar tissue. The correct move is not patch fifteen. It is deprecation: mark the current process as retired, document what it taught you, and design its replacement from the ground up.

Try this: Identify one belief, process, or mental model you currently operate under that you have patched more than three times. Write down its original purpose, the patches you have applied, and the problems that persist despite those patches. Then write a single sentence: 'This schema is deprecated as of [today's date] because [reason].' You now have your first formal deprecation record.