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Software developers and designers are often asked for a recommendation to approach a solution.  The implication is that we know the right decision.  We often join in on this assumption and will debate or argue that our way is the best option.  While there may be a "best approach" to our problems, it is worth digging deeper into the costs associated with the right decision.

Arguing For The Right Decision

The first hurdle to overcome in assessing cost is debating the options.  When there is a clear-cut approach that is the best one, then we can often decide and move on.  On the other hand, there are more often going to be a few solutions that are similar, and a clear winner is not apparent.  The time and effort spent debating and buttressing the options can become lengthy and even expensive.  When the difference between the options is minimal, it may be best to choose one and move on.  Hesitation alone can be costly.

A Changing Environment

We have looked at numerous situations where the best decision today is not as good tomorrow.  We live in a world that is constantly changing.  Likewise, new products and features turn up every day.  That also is a reason to avoid splitting hairs in our desire to find the best solution.  Those key indicators that make one solution the best can be unimportant by the time we implement.  The more granular our focus on the arguments we make, the more likely our decision will be impacted by changes in the landscape.

Progress Over Planning

You can refer back to the Pareto Principle as an argument for making a decision sooner rather than later.  The thought here is that the parts of the project that distinguish those similar solutions are going to live in that final 20 percent.  In some cases, we may not even get that far into the solution in our first version.  While we want to avoid decisions that may cause obstacles down the road. Sometimes multiple paths will lead to the same destination.