Why Good Enough... Isnt

Home
>
Business Management
>
Why Good Enough... Isnt

About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. "As far as I'm concerned," he told me, "if a product is good enough, then it's perfect." He explained that in his view, product improvements should only be performed with the specific goal of increasing sales. "Anything else," he said, "provides no benefit to the company. It's just over-engineering."

In a way, I could see his point; after all, a company should avoid spending too much effort to develop features that nobody cares about. In most companies, time and manpower are precious commodities that must be invested wisely. Nevertheless, his statement left a rather sour taste in my mouth, and here's why.

First, his choice of words suggests that the customer's needs are relatively unimportant, and that profit-making is the only thing that matters. To my mind, this is a false dichotomy. It's true that a company has to guard its bottom line, and that its resources are limited. It's true that it must avoid making extravagant promises to its customers. At the same time though, a company that adopts a lukewarm attitude toward pleasing its customers is unlikely to engender a great deal of client loyalty. A successful company is one that understands the importance of customer delight.

Second, this perspective treats "good enough" as though it were some clearly identifiable goal--a distinct line of demarcation, separating the unsatisfactory from the unnecessary. In reality, this boundary can be quite fuzzy. Often, customers don't know what they would consider to be satisfactory--not until they have gained more experience with the product. This means that a company is forced to guess at what constitutes "good enough"--and if they underestimate those requirements, they may have a lot of unsatisfied customers on their hands. That's why it's important for a customer to set its sights a little higher.

Third, and most importantly, one can expect this perspective to promote a corporate culture of mediocrity rather than an attitude of excellence. If employees are told that they should only strive for what's "good enough," then that's precisely what they'll deliver-not just to the customer, but to the employer as well! A mediocre attitude will result in mediocre products, which ultimately benefits nobody.

That is why I maintain that "good enough" just isn't good enough. People need to take pride in their work, and companies need to strive for excellence. Companies do have limited resources, to be sure. Still, that should not stop them from seeking to delight their customers, or from producing work that they can brag about. To put it another way, a company may not be able to deliver the moon, but it should always reach for the stars.

About The Author

V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. takes great pride in working at Cellular Technology Ltd (http://www.immunospot.com, http://www.elispot-analyzers.de, http://www.elispot.cn) where he serves as a senior electrical and software engineer. He is pleased to work in an environment where excellence is valued.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Israel to continue offensive despite UN resolution (AP)

AP - Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets, as Israel's government said it will press forward with its offensive despite a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Illinois House on verge of impeaching Blagojevich (AP)

AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.

Rifts show as Obama urges quick action on stimulus (AP)

AP - Lawmakers are under orders to finish action on President-elect Barack Obama's nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan by mid-February. But already it is plain that a set of serious fissures need to be bridged if the bill is to be completed within five weeks.

Stocks point lower ahead of employment report (AP)

AP - Investors showed nervousness Friday ahead of the government's monthly employment report, sending stock futures moderately lower.

Democrats begin new session with labor bills (AP)

AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states (AP)

AP - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.

Obama to finalize national security team Friday (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.

Emphasis on smooth transition to new Cabinet (AP)

AP - Just minutes after George W. Bush took the oath of office eight years ago, he signed papers formally nominating 13 Cabinet-level officials. Several hours later, the Senate, meeting in a special Saturday session, confirmed seven Cabinet secretaries, including the heads of the key posts at State, Treasury and Defense.

Mini Dynasty: Gators beat Sooners for BCS title (AP)

AP - Tim Tebow enjoyed the battering-ram runs. He liked the old-school jump pass. Drawing a rare penalty, that really made Tebow's day. With No. 1 Florida about to finish off No. 2 Oklahoma 24-14 for the BCS championship Thursday night, Tebow was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Critics' final answer: `Slumdog' wins 5 awards (AP)

AP - The critics have spoken, and "Slumdog Millionaire" is their final answer.

World waits on jobs data as recession weighs (Reuters)

Reuters - Steep falls in European industrial output underlined the severity of the world economic crisis on Friday and more grim news was on the way with the United States expected to report the biggest monthly job cuts in more than 30 years.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday, defying a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal on monitors (Reuters)

Reuters - Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said a deal to monitor gas exports via Ukraine would be signed on Friday, allowing for the resumption of supplies to Europe cut off by Moscow's price row with Kiev.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Obama team amending financial rescue package: report (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is urgently overhauling the $700 billion financial rescue package to broaden its scope beyond Wall Street, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

Health care overhaul needn't break bank: study (Reuters)

Reuters - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending.

Israel and Hamas battle on after UN ceasefire demand (AFP)

AFP - Israel and Hamas launched heavy air strikes and rocket attacks on each other Friday, ignoring a UN Security Council order on the warring rivals to end their conflict.

Russia hopeful of resuming Europe gas supplies (AFP)

AFP - Russian gas deliveries to Europe could resume later Friday, the head of Russia's state gas firm said, raising hopes for an end to a transit dispute with Ukraine that has left several European states without gas at a moment of bitter cold.

Why Good Enough... Isnt

Business Management Business Management