I think context matters a LOT here. Knowing when to be pragmatic and quick vs thorough is the mark of an experienced engineer. The trick is knowing HOW to pick

I think context matters a LOT here. Knowing when to be pragmatic and quick vs thorough is the mark of an experienced engineer. The trick is knowing HOW to pick the right approach. A key point is understanding the business (or personal) goal of the system. Is this a mission-critical system that is core to how the company makes money? Then make sure its robust. Are you a startup figuring out product-market fit? Then thorough and robust systems matter less. The goal is figuring out how to get users and customers, not stabilize. I actually wrote more about this a while back: https://www.buildthestage.com/when-should-you-over-engineer-a-project/ https://www.buildthestage.com/when-should-you-over-engineer-...