Photo by Nadine E, Unsplash.

As developers, we should stop chasing masterpieces!!

One of the common mistakes many developers make is trying to turn every project into a piece of art.

Software is not supposed to be a masterpiece of architecture. It does not need to be perfectly implemented. A product should grow in parallel with the actual needs of the business, not ahead of it and not behind it.

When I was a Technical Lead, I worked with a backend developer who always aimed for the most complex patterns and the highest possible standards. He wrote every part of the code as if it should be featured in a textbook.

The problem was that instead of focusing on what the business really needed, he was busy applying every new thing he studied. This slowed the entire team down and other members often ended up waiting for him.

The truth is that we must always keep a reasonable balance between code quality, delivery time, and business needs.

Everything is a trade off.

Good code matters. Good architecture matters. But not at the cost of slowing down the business.

Sometimes “good enough” is the smartest choice.