The Wikipedia policy that tells editors to set aside rules when doing so would improve the encyclopedia is called “Ignore all rules.”
The policy is often abbreviated IAR. Its purpose is not to abolish Wikipedia’s rules, but to prevent rigid or mechanical rule-following from harming the project. Editors may occasionally depart from a rule when applying it would produce a clearly worse result, provided they are acting in good faith and trying to improve the encyclopedia.
Larry Sanger proposed the idea during Wikipedia’s early development in 2001. It became one of the project’s foundational policies and is closely related to the principle “Wikipedia has no firm rules,” the fifth of Wikipedia’s five pillars.
The wording is frequently misunderstood. “Ignore all rules” is not a license to vandalize, disrupt discussions, evade sanctions, or force a preferred outcome. Consensus, common sense, and the snowball clause are separate concepts. In practice, editors are still expected to explain their reasoning and accept community review.