The fastest way to waste months of work?

Build a ‘perfect’ product before showing it to the customer.
That’s why one of my core principles is “Less for less.”

I’ll throw my fellow engineers under the bus for a moment… Engineers often want to overcomplicate from the start:
“Let’s build every possible feature.”
“Let’s design this to last forever.”

More features =
  - More time
  - More resources
  - More potential for bugs
  - More things to document (or forget to document)
  - More technical debt down the road

Even on the most Agile teams, time and resources are finite. The bigger the scope, the longer it takes before your customer sees anything.

And that’s dangerous. Because you might:
  - Discover the customer’s needs weren’t clear.
  - Learn that the product isn’t needed after all.
  - Get overtaken by higher-priority work.

That’s why I believe in delivering the smallest viable version first.

When I am leading prototype efforts, my team pushes hard to get something in front of the customer within a couple of days to a few weeks. It isn’t smoke and mirrors either — it is real, working functionality — but it is bare minimum.

And thankfully we do. Because sometimes when the customer actually sees it, they realize their initial direction wasn’t what they truly needed. We were heading down the wrong path. By getting quick feedback, we avoided months of wasted work and redirected toward what actually mattered.

This isn’t just about software. It’s a leadership principle too.

Leaders who chase perfection before showing progress risk misalignment, burnout, and missed opportunities. Leaders who deliver “less for less” create momentum, earn trust, and adapt faster.

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t building more. It’s delivering less — and learning sooner.