Quick Wins Become Quicksand If You're Not Careful

Quick wins may be setting the stage for your team's downfall. All too often, under the pressures of deadlines, it seems justifiable to hack together a solution. It's better to ship something now and optimize it later, right? But when does 'later' actually come?

Sometimes there's no getting around putting the long-term needs aside for a bit. More often than not, we see developers focused on “getting it to work” and then moving on. It's a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, except we're borrowing time now at the expense of our future efficiency.

How Did We Get Here?

Pragmint has noticed some common reasons why too much short-term thinking takes place on a software team. We’ve outlined a few below:

Urgency Bias

Urgency bias makes us prioritize immediate tasks over important ones, often leading to quick fixes that compromise long-term solutions. On almost every client we work with, we’ve come across 1k line long abstractions. Rarely do these sort of bloated abstractions get built in one go. More often, they get built as developers defer thinking about breaking apart in favor of delivering their feature quickly.

Reward Systems

Given that most leaders don’t work at the code level each day, it’s harder to recognize impactful software quality contributions. The goal of a business isn’t to build quality software for quality’s sake; however, quality software can be a huge enabler of future value creation. It’s easier to recognize the people who are delivering feature work or impacting quantitative metrics that are valued by leadership.

It's Always Been Done That Way

It requires less thought to continue down a path that’s well-established than it does to establish a new one. This path of least resistance can be enticing, further incentivizing short-term thinking. Long-term planning can require doubling back and iterating on an implementation that’s already partially done. It takes a disciplined team to break out of this pattern.

Steep Learning Curve

Many people choose quick fixes because they're easier and faster than learning something tough. Facing a steep learning curve can be scary and time-consuming, which pushes folks to find shortcuts. Yet, those who stick with the tougher learning process often end up more successful in the long run. Having worked through the steep learning curve, they become more effective because they possess the necessary knowledge for the future.

Visibility Of Consequences

Short-term actions often have immediate, visible results, which can be gratifying. However, the long-term consequences of these actions are not always clear at the moment. This lack of immediate feedback on long-term impacts can lead to decisions that solve today's problems but create bigger ones in the future.

Strategies To Balance Short-Term And Long-Term Thinking

We all know the frustration of being stuck in a cycle of quick fixes that seem to solve one problem only to create another. Every Co-Dev Coach at Pragmint has felt this, too, and together, we've developed strategies not just for our own workflows but also to help our clients avoid these pitfalls.

#1 - Adopt A "What Happens If...?" Mindset

Encourage everyone to ask “What happens if...” during planning sessions. This simple question allows team members to map out potential future problems that might arise when choosing a quick fix.

For example, before deploying a software patch, challenge the team to look beyond the immediate benefits by asking:

• What happens if this patch conflicts with other components?
• What if it becomes a permanent crutch, preventing more effective solutions down the line?
• What happens if this solution becomes obsolete in a year or if the market shifts and we need to pivot?

Routinely contemplating these scenarios isn’t about predicting the future; it’s about being prepared for it and deciding if a quick solution is worth the risk or if a more thorough approach is warranted.

#2 - Build Guardrails, Then Hand Over The Steering Wheel

Teams are more likely to think differently if they're explicitly shown boundaries and granted the freedom to experiment within those boundaries. For example, you don't want your teams rewriting existing systems to use different technologies because new tech is trending. Instead, you want them to make smart decisions that will pay off long-term. For example, Pragmint created a decision record template for our clients that encourages teams to suggest making big changes. It guides them to consider the upfront cost, ongoing cost, anticipated return, and anticipated payback period. That provides good "rules of the road" but lets the team dictate how to drive.

#3 - Create A Sense Of Safety In Your Culture

Create a culture where everyone feels safe to share their thoughts without fear of being judged. Understand that it's crucial to notice when people start feeling unsafe during conversations, as suggested in the book "Crucial Conversations." Look out for signs like stressful discussions, people looking uncomfortable, and how you react under pressure. Encourage everyone to speak respectfully and take breaks if conversations get too tense, to make sure everyone feels heard and respected. For more tips on how to do this, check out our article Meaningful Change.

#4 - Collect Qualitative Data To Put The Quantitative Data Into Perspective

Qualitative metrics, such as surveys and interviews, help capture aspects of work that numbers alone can't show. These include developers' feelings about their tools and work processes, as well as objective data about their work habits, like how long tasks take or how frequently code is deployed.

In practice, blending these two types of data—subjective feelings and objective facts—provides a richer, more accurate picture of your developers’ productivity. It's about understanding not just the speed and volume of work done, but also how developers feel about their work. Developers that feel good about their work are more likely to demonstrate long-term thinking.

Get A Different Perspective

It’s frustrating when you know something has to change, but you just can’t pinpoint where to start. If you feel like you're already knee-deep in quick-fix chaos, Pragmint has your back. We’re not here to throw jargon or sell you a quick fix. We’re about sitting down with you to get to the heart of the issues you’re facing—to understand why these problems keep popping up and to support you in finding the answer. Want a free 30-minute chat to see how we can help? We’re here, and we’d love to dive in with you.

TLDR - The Bottom Line

• Quick wins can lead to long-term pain if not checked.
• Urgency bias and reward systems often promote short-term thinking.
• Collect qualitative data to put your quantitative data into perspective.
• Adopt a "What happens if...?" mindset across your team.
• Recognize and reward team members who propose long-term, effective solutions.
• Don’t be single-mindedly focused on the current deadline. Foster a culture that encourages open dialogue about long-term impacts.