Lately I have been watching Kitchen Nightmares on Hulu. Being a cooking enthusiast I get into the show. Chef Ramsay always keeps saying to the chefs and restaurateurs don’t let your quality slip. He would show them how to make a new menu of high quality dishes. The night would start out well, as the orders came in. Then orders would start to build up, and the kitchen staff always, let the quality slip to get the orders out on time. People would then leave, because of the bad food.
The problem is the kitchen staff sacrificed quality to get the orders out faster. The strategy that values speed over quality may win in the short term, but lose the war. Software development is full of stories of making a hack to hit a deadline. This is part of the culture that values working fast, over working right.
Fighting for qaulity can be very difficult, because no one in their right mind would ever say “I am against producing quality software.” The best way to make the case for quality is to lead by example. Quality software will speak for itself, just like quality food speaks for itself. If the food is really great, you may pay a little more, and wait a little longer, but it is worth it.
