Right First Time or Rapid Failure?

Where I work, we aspire to be right first time. I’ve been thinking a lot about the merits or otherwise of that aspiration. Talking with a good friend the other day, he pointed me to this wonderful quote:

I’ve missed over 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

Michael Jordan

A long time ago, I found something hidden away in our leadership capabilities. I’ve lived by this for years and I love it.

Expects and encourages rapid failure in order to succeed

Right first time v rapid failure. Can you help balance that dilemma?

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

One thought on “Right First Time or Rapid Failure?”

  1. I think the balance here is context

    If what your are doing has not been done before, fail fast is a great technique

    when you reach the cookie cutter end of a development lifecycle RFT is KEY

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