‘No worse off’ philosophy
As a startup, there is always a phase where the product needs to move forward, but the customers are happy with the current version.
This is where the philosophy of ‘no worse off’ shows itself.
Re-engineer pieces of the product, to enable moving forward in the future, and it will always come with some change, but ensure that it helps improve the user’s workflows.
There will always be trade-offs. The change will not be perfect. And, as you move along, you will see loads of opportunities to make the implementation better.
Always remember, one step at a time. Never make too many changes. It can disturb the frequency that keeps everything in sync.
Make sure to ask, will this change put us in a position ‘no worse off’ than where we are.
The ‘better off’ will start happening once the new framework for change has been put in place. Fixing a ‘running’ engine is never easy.
Re-writing anything, from scratch, will result in loss of knowledge from the system. So, ensure you capture the knowledge, even if that means the solution is not optimal. It gives you a place to move forward. And that is the important piece.
