“Why ‘good enough’ is sometimes better than perfect.”

Ah, code quality—the eternal debate. Should we strive for perfection, or is “good enough” sometimes…well, good enough? If you’ve spent any time in the trenches of software development, you already know the answer. Perfect code is a unicorn: it sounds amazing, but it doesn’t exist. What we really need is code that works, solves a problem, and doesn’t turn into a dumpster fire six months down the road. Anything beyond that? Nice to have.

Here’s the thing: software doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s not an academic exercise or an art gallery exhibit. Software lives in the messy, chaotic world of business. Deadlines loom, budgets shrink, and customer needs shift faster than your favorite JavaScript framework. In that world, chasing perfection often means one thing: delay.
• The business doesn’t care if your code is elegant enough to win a beauty pageant. They care if it works, if it meets customer needs, and if it ships on time. Period. When you’re weighing whether to tweak that loop or optimize a query to the nth degree, ask yourself: is this helping the business? If the answer is no, it’s time to move on.
• Let’s be real: no code is permanent. The perfect algorithm you write today could be scrapped next quarter when requirements change or the company pivots. I’ve lost track of how many “perfect” solutions I’ve seen end up on the chopping block because they didn’t fit the new reality. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of useful.
• “Good enough” doesn’t mean bad. It means functional, maintainable, and efficient enough to get the job done without compromising long-term stability. It means knowing when to say, “This is solid, let’s ship it,” instead of endlessly polishing a feature that nobody but you will notice.

Now, let me be clear: there are exceptions. Security, scalability, and data integrity aren’t places to cut corners. Some areas of code need to be airtight because the risks of failure are catastrophic. But for most everyday tasks? “Good enough” gets the job done and keeps the product moving forward.

And let’s not forget the unsung hero of “good enough” code: iteration. Software development isn’t a one-and-done affair. The magic of agile, Scrum, or whatever buzzword you’re using this week is that you can improve as you go. Ship something that works today, learn from user feedback, and refine tomorrow. Perfection might not even be possible until you’ve seen how the product performs in the wild.

I’ve worked with enough teams to know that the pursuit of perfection can paralyze a project. You get stuck in analysis paralysis, tweaking and re-tweaking until you’re so deep in the weeds you’ve forgotten why you started. Meanwhile, the competition ships, users move on, and you’re left clutching your “perfect” but unused code.

So here’s my advice: aim for practical, not perfect. Write code that solves problems, delivers value, and keeps your team sane. Remember, your job isn’t to create a masterpiece—it’s to make an impact. After all, perfect code doesn’t pay the bills. Working code does.