Better Faster and Cheaper Expectations

A common theme is software development is the old adage of "Better Faster Cheaper." Which includes everyone involved in the project, whether they know it or not. We all, especially devs, want our software to be better (less bugs, more features, faster performance, painless DevOps). We all, especially managers, want our software to be done faster (because a business/demo schedule is in place). And we all, especially those with the checkbooks, want our software to be done cheaper (in terms of expense, and software is not cheap!). 

As the adage goes, "you can only pick two." The "best" place in the triangle is probably the center, but that's just equalized. Maybe less surprises and less risk, but everyone is out to optimize something and the focal point shifts for a number of reasons. In some cases, it has to! (or at least should.)

So, where is your project aiming?

Better and Faster, but not Cheaper

Great software delivered quickly. Everyone likes great software that does what it is supposed to do without problems. And there are good reasons to need it fast, like being first-to-market, or iterating features faster than your competition, or your investors are getting antsy. It can be done!

And, it comes at a price. For any part of the project that can be developed in parallel, you can throw people at the problem. Maybe some incentives will keep the team working harder. Buy the good machines and latest tools. Maybe you can hire a real rockstar team of experienced devs, or just buy the technology and services your system is missing.

Whatever the approach, the need for better and faster is outweighing the cost constraints . . . and that's the point! If all those reasons to need it fast are right, and the software is great, you have a winner on your hands and would gladly spend that cost all over again.

Better and Cheaper, but not Faster

Great software at an economical price. Everyone likes great software that does what it is supposed to do without problems. And there are good reasons to need to done cheaper, like lack of investment, changing company profit margins or shrinking development resources.

Without resources, time slows down. Be it lack of motivation or reduced effort, the software can still be good but do not expect it to be done quickly. I see this in a lot of Open Source projects which put out great software, but most of those devs are one or two people who have other jobs and interests. They build and maintain great software, for free (can't get cheaper than that!), but sometimes their Issues list is long or v2.0 has been living in beta-mode for a while.

Progress won't happen quickly . . . and that's the point! Resources are being assigned elsewhere (or never existed in the first place), and the project is still moving forward without burdening cost (time and talent).

Faster and Cheaper, but not Better

Everyone likes great software that does what it is supposed to do without problems. And they want it now! For free! This area of the triangle is what causes developers the most strain. They want to spend more time on that problem, follow good development practices, investigate all the alternatives, re-write that ugly piece of code from last month, etc. - but deadlines and budgets don't allow for it. During my time in the defense industry, I was reminded that I wasn't creating the absolute best software for my task . . . I was fulfilling the stated requirements with the contract constraints that were in place. Talk about strain!

While customers and managers are always monitoring for faster and cheaper, they also want better! This is where a dev shop can fall into problems, by promising better without any means of faster (except "work weekends forever") or eating the cheaper themselves. Having someone "on the dev team's side" that can explain this situation is vital to the health of your team and project.

Faster and cheaper are important and often inflexible . . . and that's the point. When those are the biggest priorities, all parties should be made aware just what part of better is going into Phase 2. There are some times where faster and cheaper make a lot of sense as well, like internal prototyping or feature proof-of-concepts. Better can be handled later, when someone else is paying for it!

Expect All Three

Of course, anyone involved with a software project will say, "I want it all!!!" And they're right, they do want it all. They should have it all too! But the grumpy software veteran will say "nope, you can only pick two" and the uninformed customer will be surprised when the target starts drifting towards one corner of the triangle, only to want to focus on a different corner the next week. The unmonitored devs will push to better every time, especially if they're allowed to just refactor it all again, only to wonder why their schedule is shot and they're rushing at the end. Can all three really be done?

There is no mystical triangle to guide our software, but all decisions will have some outcome. If everyone is expecting the same thing, and the team performs, everyone is happy and not thinking if it could have been better, or faster or cheaper. If, however, expectations were not equal, then someone is left wanting more and pointing fingers at the imagined target on the triangle. "It should have been faster." "What about feature X?"

Yes, we can have all three . . . in a way. If expectations are set correctly and maintained throughout the project, everyone is getting what they expect to get and don't think about the triangle . . . and that's the point! With a defined and limited set of requirements that are perceived as "better", the team can work quickly and cheaply. With a defined budget, that "looks economical" and isn't skimmed, for the right team, good software can be created quickly. With achievable milestones that are "fast enough", good software can be created cheaply.

The triangle is useful to explain compromises while setting expectations. It is not a compass to magically redirect software efforts, nor a map that explains "how we got here is your fault." Set clear goals, keep communication lines opens and enjoy great software that is so much better, faster and cheaper that no one even thinks about it : )