Speed, Cost, Quality, Choose 2 = Pragmatism, Passion, or Perfectionism

Published on Jun 11, 2025, filed under management, quality (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

You know at least one of the variations of the project management, project, or iron triangle. “One of the variations,” as there are different ones. ^* In this brief post, I’ll refer to the version of selecting two of speed, cost, and quality, to achieve a given outcome.

Typically, the choice is straightforward—pick whatever factors are most important to you.

Still, there’s more to it. If, like me, you love to deliver quality, but find yourself appreciating and optimizing for speed and cost, you know what this really stands for: pragmatism. We optimize for speed (time to market) and cost (lower expenses) because this is what our environment usually values most—and what pays our and our teams’ bills.

If choosing speed and cost can be understood as pragmatism, what do the choices of cost and quality as well as of speed and quality stand for?

Passion and perfectionism.

We can draw this up:

Upon closer examination, these analogies hold: What does the pragmatist prioritize less? Quality. (Note: “less,” not “not at all.”) What about someone driven by passion? They likely sacrifice speed. And the perfectionist? Is aware of and ready to foot the increased cost.

None of this is meant to be judgmental, as it’s valid to make each choice. It simply suggests that we can categorize the choices we make in this version of the project management triangle—as pragmatism, passion, or perfectionism.

^* The Wikipedia example provides two good examples: Quality being a function of cost, scope, and time (the “project management triangle” graphic). This may be the “original” triangle, but Wikipedia also mentions another set of options (“Good, fast, cheap. Choose two.”), where quality is one of the choices. That’s the triangle I’m referring to here.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you’ve never heard of and companies you use every day, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)