Speed Versus Quality: How to Strike a Balance When Building Software

When building software, people often find shortcuts to expedite the process. Time is money and engineers and developers face pressure from stakeholders to rush through steps to present a finished product. At the same time, people assume things along the way aren’t important, so push them to the side in order to cross the finish line. The reality though, is that prioritizing speed over quality leads to greater inefficiencies.

Think of creating software like a road trip. You wake up early, load everyone into the car, and set off. But you haven’t got gas, you haven’t bought food, you don’t know the route, and you ultimately have to make a number of detours to pick things up. It may have only taken you five minutes to hit the road but the overall journey has taken longer and might even be more expensive. Was it worth it? Probably not.

Development is a long-term investment — going too fast can mean not being prepared, while going too slow can jeopardize your business goals. It’s about striking a balance between the two, which once finessed, improves your own agility. Here’s how:

Follow the agile manifesto

Even if you’re not under pressure from stakeholders, it can still be easy to self-impose deadlines and pressure that simply aren’t there. Naturally…