Very interesting and historically informative article, Don.
I'm not sure it applies all that well to Ameraucanas, however. This breed is not a "production" bird, as the Leghorns and RIR, and many others, are known to be. Ameraucanas tend to be more moderate layers, and certainly are not known for meat production.
When I was still breeding - which I'm not any longer - I set goals for each breeding cycle, and for each breeding pen, depending on where I was in achieving the "perfect" bird. Of course we all know the "perfect" bird doesn't exist (though I've seen some at shows that came pretty dang close!). Setting those individual goals didn't mean I was overlooking the whole bird, however - in fact, quite the opposite. I was addressing each individual bird's shortcomings and trying to put a pair, or trio, together that would strengthen that shortcoming in the next generation.