Waiting one more week to ship is nearly always a bad idea

We’ve all said it. We’ve all heard it.

Let’s just wait one more week.

It sounds responsible. Thoughtful, even. Like you care about quality. Like you're doing the right thing by holding the line a little longer.

But that one week wait? It almost always does more harm than good.

This isn’t about being reckless. It’s about recognising that speed, momentum and real world feedback matter more than polish or internal opinions.

Here’s why:

You Delay the Only Feedback That Matters

When you delay shipping, you’re not just pausing delivery, you’re pausing learning.

Every week that you don’t ship, you’re not getting real feedback. You’re not hearing from users. You’re not validating assumptions. You’re not observing any behaviour.

You’re in a bubble. And the longer you stay there, the worse your instincts get.

Let me tell you about a feature I worked on a while ago. It was basically done, but I thought it needed some UI tweaks. Nothing major, just “a little more polish.” So we waited a few days.

Then design wanted to weigh in. Then someone noticed edge cases in the logic. Then found some edge cases. All valid points but each added a few more days.

When we finally shipped, users weren’t using the feature the way we thought they would. Our assumptions were off. We ended up reworking the entire thing.

Had we just shipped it sooner and behind a flag and to a small cohort, we’d have learned that immediately. We could’ve avoided weeks of overthinking and iterations built on the wrong premise :)

Momentum is a Force. Just Use It or Lose It

Tbh momentum is invisible but it drives everything.

Teams that ship regularly feel alive. There's a rhythm. Energy builds. People are excited. You feel progress. You just see it.

I’ve worked on teams where a feature sits “basically done” for days because someone is waiting for the perfect time to launch. After a while, no one is excited about it anymore. By the time it goes live, it feels like old news.

Perfect doesn’t matter if no one’s using it

This one is simple: users don’t care about how “perfect” something is. They care whether it solves their problem.

You can polish a feature forever, but if no one wants it or if you built the wrong thing, it doesn’t matter. You won’t know until you ship.

Shipping early lets you see what’s working and what’s not. You can always fix rough edges later. You can’t fix a feature that no one’s using because it never shipped.

Internal Feedback Can’t Replace Real Usage

Internal feedback is valuable until it becomes a loop.

Too often, teams confuse alignment with validation. You end up with endless Figma comments, “one more” content suggestion, or a last-minute re-review of UX copy. I once spent two full days navigating a debate about empty state wording.

Internal alignment helps smooth out obvious friction but it can’t tell you what users will actually do.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't focus on delighting users.

How to Ship Fast Without Breaking Prod

“Move fast” doesn’t mean “move carelessly.”

It means being deliberate, focused and outcome-driven. Here's how to ship fast and smart:

• Use feature flags: Ship behind toggles. Release to internal users or beta cohorts. You don’t have to go full 100% right away.

• Break things down: Don’t wait for a feature to be “complete.” Ship pieces that deliver value even if small. Stack wins :)

• Track usage: Ship with analytics. Know what’s being used and how.

• Document the gaps: If something is missing, call it out. Tell users what’s coming if required.

• Build for today: Don't wait for what might be needed in the future. You can always make changes later. But you can't improve something that hasn't been released.

So… Why Are You Really Waiting?

The next time someone suggests holding off another week, ask:

“What exactly are we waiting for?”

If the answer isn’t a critical bug, a user impacting flaw or a real blocker then it’s probably not worth the delay.

You’re not waiting for “the perfect moment.” You’re just… waiting.

So stop and

Ship it.
Then learn. Then improve. Then ship again.

That’s how great products are built not by chasing polish endlessly but by solving real problems in the hands of real people.

But Wait, Does That Mean Quality Doesn’t Matter?

Not at all.

Code quality absolutely matters. It’s the foundation that allows you to move fast safely. Well written, modular, well tested code makes it easier to iterate quickly, fix issues and extend functionality without fear.

But here's the thing: spending too much time perfecting code on its own rarely makes the product better. Trying to make everything perfect too soon can be as harmful as rushing to ship without care.

Instead of aiming for perfect code out of the gate, aim for:

• Clean, readable, testable code that’s good enough to ship.

• Well scoped PRs that are easy to review and also reason about.

• Fast feedback loops that catch real issues very early.

• Monitoring and metrics just to know when something breaks.

Good engineering is about balance.

It’s not speed or quality, it’s speed with quality.

So yes write good code. But don’t let “perfect” code hold you back from delivering value