February 4, 2025

Don’t Wait to Innovate: The Case for Building Momentum Today

Anyone who has been involved in a software project knows that the path you start on often looks very different from the one you end up taking. Budgets evolve, priorities shift, customer demands emerge, and deadlines loom. These realities call for flexibility and quick decision-making. Agile development teams are not only built to handle these changes but to thrive on them, delivering value efficiently in the face of uncertainty.

Let’s dive into why waiting for the “perfect” moment to build can be a costly misstep and how investing in a team now sets the foundation for long-term success.

The Cost of Waiting

On paper, waiting to build until everything feels “just right” can sound responsible. But in reality, it often translates to missed opportunities and growing costs. While you’re holding off, markets shift, competitors launch, and your organization forfeits valuable learning and revenue potential. Waiting also racks up opportunity costs— potential customers waiting, lost customers, and shelved ideas that could have generated momentum.

By starting with a development team today, you can start small, deliver early, and gain insights that inform smarter decisions. Even a minimal viable product (MVP) provides the feedback loop you need to refine and adapt based on real user input—not assumptions of what you think the end users want.

Progress Through Incremental Delivery

Agile development teams specialize in breaking down complexity into manageable, deliverable pieces. Instead of aiming for an all-encompassing solution, they focus on delivering incremental value that grows over time. Imagine your product requires a login screen. The essential functionality is straightforward: users need to log in securely. This may seem controversial but fancy design elements and advanced options can wait. By prioritizing core functionality, you get a working software in users’ hands faster, setting the stage for iterative improvement.

Case in point, the skateboard to a Cadillac analogy. Instead of waiting to develop a fully polished product (the “Cadillac”) from the start, agile development encourages launching with a minimum viable product (MVP)—akin to starting with a skateboard. Over time, through continuous improvements based on user feedback and evolving requirements, the product evolves into a more sophisticated version, like upgrading from a skateboard to a bicycle, then a motorcycle, and eventually reaching the Cadillac. This approach prevents stagnation, accelerates time-to-market, and ensures that real user needs shape the final product.

skateboard to Cadillac software development analogy.

This approach prevents teams from getting bogged down in details that may not even matter to end users. Instead, you’re consistently delivering and learning while building early user engagement and driving adoption of what you’re creating.

The Momentum Advantage

One of the biggest upsides to investing in a team is the momentum it creates. Agile teams don’t just deliver software—they create a rhythm of progress that builds trust and excitement across the organization and your end users. Frequent wins inspire stakeholders, align cross-functional efforts, and generate energy for tackling complex challenges.

Waiting, on the other hand, often leads to stagnation. Stakeholders grow impatient, teams lose focus, and enthusiasm dwindles. By starting early and showing consistent progress, you maintain alignment and keep the project moving forward.

Embracing Change

Change isn’t a roadblock in Agile; it’s fuel. Agile teams are designed to embrace shifting priorities and use them as opportunities to deliver even more value.

When stakeholders pivot, Agile teams engage to understand the “why” and chart a course for iterative delivery. This flexibility ensures the product evolves with the market rather than being stuck in outdated plans. The ability to welcome change—even late in the game—is a key differentiator for organizations that thrive versus those that fall behind.

Speed-to-Market as a Game Changer

In a world where speed-to-market can make or break a product’s success, the luxury of waiting isn’t an option. Delivering early lets you establish a foothold, gather user feedback, and iterate faster than competitors. It’s a competitive advantage you simply can’t afford to ignore.

By investing in a team now, you position your business to act—not react. Agile delivery ensures you’re not just keeping pace with the market but staying ahead of it.

Progress Over Perfection

Chasing perfection often leads to paralysis. The truth is, software is never truly “finished.” The best products are those that evolve through continuous iteration and adaptation. By prioritizing progress over polish, you’re building not just a product, but a process that responds to real-world needs.

The ROI of acting now—of delivering incrementally and learning continuously—far exceeds the illusion of safety in perfection. Investing in a team empowers you to adapt, innovate, and succeed. The perfect moment to start isn’t something you wait for; it’s something you create by taking action today. Don’t let 2025 speed past you and your progress of ideas.