Pillar 01

Done over Perfect

"Ship it, then fix it"

Perfect is the enemy of shipped.

Every day you spend polishing is a day you’re not learning from real users. Every feature you add before launch is a feature that might be wrong.

The best Product Managers know: you can’t think your way to product-market fit. You have to ship your way there.

What This Means in Practice

  • Ship the MVP, not the MLP (Minimum Lovable Product)
  • Set deadlines that force cuts
  • Celebrate learning, not perfection
  • “Good enough” is a feature, not a bug

The Anti-Pattern

You’re violating this pillar when you:

  • Push back launch “just one more week”
  • Add features to avoid launching
  • Wait for perfect data before deciding
  • Polish UI before validating demand

The Mantra

“Real artists ship.” — Steve Jobs

Done beats perfect. Always.

Put this pillar into practice

The Pragmatic PM Toolkit includes templates built on these principles.