There are several ways to look at development: The Lego way used to be that the best is good enough in the book “Brick by Brick” with the assumption being that the product has to be perfect before it is made available to the general public. However, the second line of thought is that the development stops when the product is deemed to be good enough. There are pro and con with each method.
Only the Best is Good enough:
- Development takes long and the product takes time to come to market.
- Market might change before the product is made available
- Perfect product generates customer trust and respect
Good is good enough:
- Fast development that makes for responsiveness to the market
- Product development is fast but defects may arise from inadequate testing
- Competition may be able to make similar product but the quick product development usually keeps competition away
Either ways, every company struggles with this – when do the engineers decide that the product has been fully developed vs the marketing and sales department who needs the products as soon as possible?