Marginal Returns of Perfection

What to do when some says 'ideally'?

Like an upside-down car, the costs of many items on a wish list out-weigh their value. In short, they turtle. There is a strong temptation to deliver on ideals, particularly when stated by senior executives. The result is often over-budget and under-whelming.

Ideals are rarely thought through enough to be thought of as requirements. They are just that - "A conception of something in its absolute perfection."

The features in the ideal category are often not worth the development effort to deliver. It takes a strong constitution and a fair bit of politics to convince people of this.