Architecture defines the potential of the system. Done well, and future capabilities get unlocked. Done poorly, and issues get introduced that are not felt until build or delivery. Always strive for the cleanest solution possible. The less mature the system, the more prototyping iterations are needed to figure out what that is. Someone needs to own the hard decisions, but every aspect should be hammered out together as a team.

A great concept is nothing without a team to design, build, integrate, test, iterate, and deliver. When pushing boundaries, a high performance team isn’t a nice to have — it’s essential. The team needs to be full bought in, thoughtfully organized, encouraged to take calculated risks, and 100% ready to handle the pressure of changing what is possible.

Getting to 80% is fairly fast, but the next 10% takes just as long, and then comes the extremely difficult, grueling climb of getting every final detail and issue hammered out. Teams are made or broken at this stage, and it takes strong leadership to stay on the former. Because it’s not done until it’s delivered.