Start Now; Iterate and Saturate Later

A project that survives starts with the core value, adapts to feedback, and improves over time.

Why it matters: The future is unpredictable, and the graveyard is full of detailed planned projects.

• Many projects fail because they start with the “perfect” setup rather than refining the core value.

• Launching quickly with a core offering allows for collecting feedback to prioritize future decisions.

• Collected feedback and data allow for better-informed decisions on what to improve.

Zoom out: Nobody knows what they are building until they showcase it to the world.

• The role of randomness is big; predicting the market or human behavior is impossible.

• The only way is to ship and learn from the world about what works.

Example: After the 2024 Japanese GP, the boss of the Mercedes F1 team says about “better understanding the car they built”:

Asked if the Brackley-based outfit now has a better understanding of the W15, Wolff responded: “Much better, definitely much better. Lots more data to point us in the right direction, even if it’s not reflected in the result.”

• A Formula 1 car costs many millions $ to design and build. If top-performance sports teams learn about their cars during racing, why can’t we do the same with software?

The bottom line: Sometimes, the best decision in software delivery is to delay making a decision. Launch quickly with your core value offer, learn from real-world interactions, and evolve based on real user needs.