Come to think of it, you won’t find “just enough” in the list of principles behind the Agile Manifesto—but it’s always something worth aiming for.
To be clear, “just enough” doesn’t mean “just OK.” Striving for one is good, while settling for the other is not. Simply put: just OK is not OK.
So don’t settle for “just OK.” Don’t settle for “good enough” either. Instead, go for “just enough.”
Go for “just enough”—and keep working at it. It’s harder than you think. Just enough means not only having the right amount, but also the right kind, at the right time.
Just enough: the right amount, of the right kind, at the right time.
Take process, for example: no process is chaos, and too much process is sclerosis. Just enough is the sweet spot in between.
And the same goes for pretty much anything: analysis, design, code, standardization, management—you name it. Whatever it is, seek that balance between not enough and too much.
Now, you may ask: how do you go for just enough?
This is one way:
Start with nothing. When that’s not enough, try the simplest possible way to provide whatever you need. Repeat.”
—Ron Jeffries
Also, consider Dieter Rams’ approach to design: “Good design is as little design as possible.”
Less, but better.”
—Dieter Rams
And watch for extremes: don’t put too much emphasis on some areas at the expense of others.
With Agile, for example, teams often fixate on Scrum to the detriment of fundamentals like solution design and project management.
At the end of the day, as with all things Agile, simple doesn’t mean easy: “just enough” is a principle that’s as simple as it gets, yet it’s one of the hardest to master.
