Other aspects of latency (for delivering software/features): (1) Psychological. Being able to see early signs of progress can build momentum. Momentum and mora

Other aspects of latency (for delivering software/features): (1) Psychological. Being able to see early signs of progress can build momentum. Momentum and morale matter. If your efforts don't feel connected with a reward, you can get discouraged. (Obviously, perseverance is a good thing, but realistically it doesn't make this a total non-issue.) Nobody wants to spend 40 years in the wilderness before entering the promised land. (2) Political. People like to see visible results. It's good internal PR. Even if delayed delivery is more efficient, telling others in your organization "just be patient" is a hard sell, can be risky, and may require backbone. And it may require someone to stick their neck out for you. (Like a manager telling their manager, "Yeah, it does look like nothing is happening, but my team has it under control.") (3) Competition. Lower latency can mean gaining an advantage by being first to market. Sometimes the race is close and reductions in latency would be valuable, and sometimes not. Competitors' plans are usually a big unknown, so there's lots of guessing. Excessive fear is a hazard that can lead to overemphasis on reducing latency.