When considering a poor quality product, with several design or aesthetic problems, and difficulties in determining how it was constructed to begin with, it is quite likely that it is the product of a project which suffered significant complications. This pattern is true for all kinds of products. Ones in engineering, construction, software and creativity. When pressed for time and costs increase, or scope is reduced, the quality is sacrificed.
When planning becomes overwhelming the first element that is sacrificed is always quality. There is a tendency to not do things well, to take shortcuts that will supposedly work with one’s deadlines more easily. The thing is that sometimes when these measures are used, both consciously and unconsciously by the team, they do not effectively solve the issues with time when we encounter them, but makes them more difficult to prevent overall.
When a team is under extreme pressure, there is a tendency to hide the flaws and other weaknesses with product.
The problems appear later, in the implementation and maintenance stages. The rush has now passed, but the problems in the product are there, waiting for someone to notice and address them. As soon as it is time to make some sort of adjustment or do a simple routine maintenance exercise, the problems emerge and the product works poorly or stops working altogether. But this problem is ‘normally’ one for the maintenance team.
Planning complications are unfortunately more common than we would like to acknowledge and they cannot always be avoided. When the product contains ‘invisible problems’ we must be quick to document these problems and not wait for them to arise in later production phases. If aware of a problem deal with it. We must think about those dealing with the implementation and maintenance of the product and not only of finishing the project at any cost.
Always remember: “More haste, less speed!”