I have found that the "ship something then iterate" approach to software development can get stuck in local optima without a clear path to get out when it gets

I have found that the "ship something then iterate" approach to software development can get stuck in local optima without a clear path to get out when it gets flooded by unforeseen problems. Then it becomes a maintenance nightmare. But by then the original developers will have moved on with their careers or they are just happy chugging along with the mess they've created because they're not competent enough to know better.