I guess using ambiguous terms like "smart" and "dumb" is the downfall of this article. You could replace them with "good developer" and "bad developer" for whic

I guess using ambiguous terms like "smart" and "dumb" is the downfall of this article. You could replace them with "good developer" and "bad developer" for whichever definition of good and bad you choose (which will vary for person). From your description, I don't consider smart to do some big upfront design and release a system in 2 years; in fact I'd consider that very dumb instead. In that context dumb would be to go ahead with the first solution that comes to your mind rather than looking at 2-3 solutions, compare them, possibly PoC and measure them (if possible) and then make an informed choice including other's input (depending on the scale of the project).