Avoiding absolutism in software development, experiences working as a consultant

Overview

Do not let perfect be the enemy of good. This is something I often have to repeat to myself and our customers. Typically it is best to come up with "good enough" solutions, instead of chasing perfection. As a consultant, I have worked with dozens of different organizations. Sometimes I meet people who push for perfection in security, processes, testing, user experience etc. While their purpose is the improvement of the solution, the value of going for perfection decreases as we go further. As our customers pay for the hours we work, I feel obligated to push back when someone tries to push for too much perfection. Sometimes the "quick and dirty" solution is the best solution, given the context.