http://www.scrambledbrains.net/2013/06/06/done-is-not-necessarily-better-than-perfect/ All things Mike McGranahan. Wed, 06 May 2026 03:58:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 http://www.scrambledbrains.net/2013/06/06/done-is-not-necessarily-better-than-perfect/#comment-115335 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 23:00:27 +0000 http://www.scrambledbrains.net/2013/06/06/done-is-not-necessarily-better-than-perfect/#comment-115335 [...] The idea of technical debt is critical to work-life balance and to customer relationships. However, many companies these days seem willing to carry that debt, obsessed with a “move fast/break things” culture where any efforts resembling code perfection are feverishly rejected. But technical debt is a strategic concern, so one would think all those business strategists in their fancy suits would find want to address it. Without adequate recognition, the emphasis inadvertently shifts from “moving fast” to “breaking things”. I believe this lack of due attention is largely a matter of poor communication by engineers with stakeholders. Technical debt is often misrepresented as a temporary issue. “Give us a week to erase this technical debt.” On the other hand, saying “Each work item carries with it a 15% implementation tax to mitigate technical debt” is no more reassuring. [...] […] The idea of technical debt is critical to work-life balance and to customer relationships. However, many companies these days seem willing to carry that debt, obsessed with a “move fast/break things” culture where any efforts resembling code perfection are feverishly rejected. But technical debt is a strategic concern, so one would think all those business strategists in their fancy suits would find want to address it. Without adequate recognition, the emphasis inadvertently shifts from “moving fast” to “breaking things”. I believe this lack of due attention is largely a matter of poor communication by engineers with stakeholders. Technical debt is often misrepresented as a temporary issue. “Give us a week to erase this technical debt.” On the other hand, saying “Each work item carries with it a 15% implementation tax to mitigate technical debt” is no more reassuring. […]

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