One of the first new things I was introduced to as a design fresher in the industry was how our product managers prioritise projects based on the effort required and the possible impact. But over time and in the end – it all seemed to not matter. Some projects kept going through iterations and changes in requirements without seeing the day in the life of users. There was no launch – I wonder if anyone believed there would be a launch someday for how things were going. It was disheartening.

When I first heard about Stripe many years ago, I landed on Patrick Collison’s website. The website features a page titled “Fast” containing examples of ideas and projects quickly accomplished.

• Amazon Prime – 6 weeks
• BankAmericard (Visa) – 90 days
• Apollo 8 – 134 days
• P-80 Shooting Star – 143 days
• iPod – 290 days

The reminder of these ambitious and successful projects begged to ask me – there has to be a better way, right? I found an excerpt in my notes from one of DHH’s post (July 2023):

Every company needs to have someone asking why we can’t launch next Monday instead of next month. Willing to accept and underwrite the risks needed to make it happen. And with a stomach for occasionally being wrong, eating the loss, but keep playing.

David Heinemeier Hansson

Working on anything, ask – why can’t we launch now?