Balancing Agile Priorities: The Intersection of Speed, Quality, and Customer Needs

While going through the prerequisites for CSPO, I gained some insights regarding "Build the right thing," "Build the thing right," and "Build it fast." I never had such a deep understanding of these concepts before.

Ideally, we aim for all three and strive to be at the center at number 1, but finding the balance is challenging. What happens when we are out of balance?

Build the right thing and build the thing right

When we are at point 2, we focus on creating a perfect product with flawless architecture. However, if we spend too much time perfecting it, we might miss the market window or face cash flow problems.

Build the right thing and build it fast

When we are at point 3, we rush to turn a prototype into a usable product. This approach might work well in the short term, but in the long run, we might accumulate technical debt, and our development velocity will slow down significantly.

Build the thing right and build it fast

When we are at point 4, we might build an advanced and efficient system in record time, but it may not meet the user's needs. It's like developing a complex analytics tool when the user needed a simple dashboard.

So, there is a healthy tension between the Scrum roles. Balancing "Build the right thing," "Build the thing right," and "Build it fast" is crucial for successful product development in Agile. Each role plays a vital part:

• Product Owner: Ensures the team is building the right product.
• Development Team: Ensures the product is built correctly.
• Scrum Master/Coach: Ensures the process is efficient and effective.

This balance leads to a product that meets user needs, is of high quality, and is delivered in a timely manner, ultimately driving business success.