Software Development Blog

Weekly Newsletter Friday 16th Jan 2026 - The Cost of Half-Decisions

Hi there, Rob here…

Some of the most expensive problems in software start with a sentence like, “Let’s just move forward for now.” Not yes. Not no. Just forward-ish.

Half-decisions feel productive in the moment. Everyone leaves the meeting nodding. Something gets built. Progress appears to be happening. But without a clear sign off, the work exists in a strange limbo. Is this final? Is it temporary? Are we testing it, or shipping it? Nobody is quite sure, but everyone assumes someone else knows.

This is where projects quietly bleed time. Designs get revisited. Features get tweaked endlessly. Developers hesitate to clean things up because it might all change again. Stakeholders hold back feedback because it does not feel finished. The result is work that keeps moving, but never really lands.

Clear decisions do not have to be perfect. They just have to be explicit. Yes, ship this. No, we are not doing that. This is good enough for now. Even a wrong decision creates momentum because everyone knows where they stand and what happens next. Half-decisions do the opposite. They slow everything down while pretending to be flexible.

So if something feels stuck, look for the missing decision. Chances are the work is not blocked by complexity, but by politeness. Someone needs to say the quiet part out loud and actually sign off.

👉 Progress needs decisions, not just movement.

Rob & Jason
Dev Partners

PS. We are Dev Partners, helping teams make clear decisions so projects actually move forward.