New to the term trilemma? Let me explain it by example, with something everyone can agree on: The Israeli/Palestinian conflict. (I jest! I jest! But still, a fantastic illustration, so stick with me.) The State of Israel would like to have three things go its way: It would like to be a proper democracy, would like to expand its borders to fully encompass territories such as the West Bank, and it would like to retain its religious/cultural identity as a Jewish state.
Well, guess what: You can’t have all three.
We’ve all faced dilemmas – a necessary decision between two mutually exclusive options. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, can’t eat the cake and lose the weight too, etc. You have to figure out your priorities and pick one. When it comes to a trilemma, there are three things that you’re after instead of two. Luckily, in a trilemma, you can usually get more than one. You can have two.
Back to our example regarding the State Of Israel. Their trilemma breaks down like this: If Israel wants to be a proper democracy, they’ll need to extend the vote to all within their borders, but if they expand the borders to include Palestinian lands, their identity as a Jewish state is in peril. If they opt to prioritize democracy and Jewish identity, they’ll need to let go of territory. If they keep the territory and hold firm to Jewish identity, then true democracy has to go as the newly enfranchised will have other priorities at the polls.
As tidy as that might look on paper, in real life it’s all very complicated.
But what does that have to do with this blog, here at the intersection of creativity and commerce? There’s a trilemma that every businessman faces from time to time. You may have come across it before. It’s usually tossed off humorously, but it’s the sort of joke that has an edge, the kind that says, “Kidding! Kidding! But seriously folks…”
The old saw goes like this: Good, Fast, & Cheap: Pick Two.
It’s rarely explicitly discussed, but this trilemma hangs in the background of every new client conversation. The brain’s always engaging in a blast of mental mathematics, a three-ball juggling routine, a quick cost-benefit analysis.
Good, of course, is always my first priority, and good can be reasonably priced if properly scheduled and deliverables are met by both sides. Good can also be fast: weekends and evenings can be pressed into service, other projects can be bumped. But this comes with a cost, a cost that a robust invoice can only partially assuage. (Mental health is a resource not directly convertible to cash, alas.)
Unfortunately, too often I get requests for my least favorite combination: Fast ‘n’ Cheap.
Fast and cheap can be done, but what is lost? Oh yes: Good. Fast and cheap implies that corners will be cut, details will be dropped. We can ignore the fact that the styling on the plug-n-play contact form doesn’t match that of the plug-n-play search box. Ignore the weird spacing and conflicting fonts. We can choose not to notice that your website’s footer still reads “Kindly powered by Xtreme Template Solutions.” We promise ourselves we’ll get around to uploading the rest of the product pictures, that we’ll replace the stock photography we tossed in to fill space. We tell ourselves these things, but life so often intervenes.
The true trouble with Fast ‘n Cheap comes later on when we realize that no one is impressed by the product, that it doesn’t reflect well on anyone’s business. Not mine, not yours. Potential customers won’t be impressed that we saved a buck, won’t be wowed by our frugality. They’ll wonder if they should trust us. After all, if we were willing to cut corners once, we just might be willing to do it again. Not good for anyone.
So let’s skip the businessman’s trilemma altogether. Let’s make a plan to do it the right way, from the start. Let’s focus on good, while being honest about the budget, and let’s come up with a timeline that works for everyone.
Maybe try for Excellent & Expeditious? I like the sound of that.
