Make haste slowly; speed achieved by skipping preparation is repaid with interest.
Augustus's motto, adopted by the Medici with a tortoise and sail. The operational form: the time spent on preparation is not lost against the schedule, it is the only thing that protects it.
In practice
- A team that spends the first fortnight on tooling delivers the six-month project faster than one that started coding on day two.
- A cook who preps everything before turning on the heat serves faster than one who chops between stirs.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Decision-making & Reasoning
- Essay
- Razors, rules and the tools of careful thought