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Done is better than perfect

Done is better than perfect because perfect never gets done. Especially in project driven business like we mostly face in the consulting industry the truth of this phrase should not be underestimated. Looking at the magic triangle of project management (Time, Quality and Costs) a project’s focus often shifts away from time since people are eager to meet quality standards and aim to be cost compliant in the day to day business.


As a consultant it is useful to always keep in mind that you are only hired for a certain amount of time (regardless of the actual length of a project). In contrast to your colleagues working in the line organisation this requires a different mindset. This difference can be illustrated by comparing the work of a stereotype german manufacturing equipment engineer with the work of an agile software developer:


They both have in common that they want to produce a working product. The difference lies in their general approach and the business context they are in:


The german manufacturing equipment engineer contemplates and thinks about the perfect way of constructing a machine for around 100 years and then produces it with the highest precision possible. The benefit here is, that this machine will work flawless for the next 100 years (just slightly exaggerating here).


The agile software developer on the other side usually thinks of his work as an ongoing process that is never “finished”. In agile software development an existing software is incrementally improved by adding and changing little fragments every few months on a fixed day.


These two approaches to the level of immaculacy needed both have their right to exist. It simply depends on the business context in which they are being applied.


The quintessence here is: As a consultant in a constantly changing environment you are unlikely asked to build something from scratch that has to last for the next 100 years. It is more likely that you are required to improve an existing organizational structure, process, IT-System et cetera. Thinking about your job as helping to incrementally improve people’s business will help you understand that your final deliverable (whatever that might be) does not have to solve all the challenges a customer is facing.


To put it in a nutshell: As a consultant you should strive for progress for your client instead of perfection for your deliverable.

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