Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick any two. It may be a bit of a cheap truism, but it is (crucially) true. The project triangle means:

• you can throw more people at the project to get it done ‘fast’, but that will cost you more;
• you can use the best people you can find and get it done ‘fast and good’, but their skills and experience will come at a premium;
• you can save some money and go live quicker with less, or take resources away; either will result in compromised quality. It won’t be as ‘good’.

Purists will argue this is too simplistic, because of course an infinite number of other constraints could present themselves. But when you know the work just won’t be done in time; when you need additional funds to fix an issue and ensure a quality job; when managing your client’s expectations; when asking your funders to make a decision: simple works. And let us not miss out on the most obvious and helpful part of the whole equation: there is a choice. You get to decide. Spend time in thoughtful deliberation, weighing the pros and cons of your choices and possible outcomes and then make a call. Sometimes there is a creative way forward.

If its the difference between asking a group of people what colour they would like, or to chose blue or green: I’m going with simple.