Ask HN: Is "fast, cheap, correct – pick two" still true in software development? It seems as llm coding agents become more and more sophisticated and capable, that adage may not be true anymore. It seems increasingly likely that you can have all three. |
If you got at something with the wrong mental model you are always going to be pushing a bubble around under the rug and you're going to feel tied up by constraints, find "correct" always elusive not matter how much time you take.
If you go at something with the right mental modal it often falls into place.
The "fast vs cheap" dilemma in a well-run operation is that once you have got efficient development under control (cheap for real) you can spend money to accelerate the schedule. "Efficient" and "under control" pretty much require correct. On the other hand I'd expect the average person using this slogan glibly is working on a project that will be late, expensive, and terribly incorrect.