Hey everyone,
In the world of agile, ‘velocity’ is often the king of metrics. We’re constantly pushed to ship faster, iterate quicker, and shorten cycle times. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately: what if our obsession with speed is actually a long-term trap?
We’ve all seen the consequences of moving too fast. Rushed user research leads to building features no one asked for. Neglected architecture results in crippling tech debt that grinds future development to a halt. And burnt-out, exhausted teams can’t produce innovative work. This is the ‘feature factory’ model, and it prioritizes output over outcomes.
The alternative isn’t to stop being agile; it’s to be more deliberate. It’s about creating the space to ask the right questions, to properly invest in discovery, and to build things with a quality that ensures a sustainable pace. Sometimes, taking an extra week to solidify a plan, refactor a core component, or conduct one more round of interviews can save months of rework down the line. It’s the classic “sharpening the axe” principle applied to product development. We need to shift the conversation from “how fast can we ship this?” to “how can we build this well?”
How do you balance the pressure for immediate output with the need for a sustainable, strategic pace in your teams? Have you ever intentionally slowed down, and what was the result?