⚖️ Everything is a choice.

My first gemba with Michael Ballé (a lean sensei) left a deep impression on me. We had installed a third-party component library to solve some accessibility issues on our frontend. He asked me:

"Ok, accessibility is what you gain - but what do you lose?" "What do you mean, what do I lose?" "..."

Every choice has consequences - some positive, some negative. Even identifying those consequences can be hard (in this case: increased security attack surface, outsourcing maintenance to a third party, larger bundle size...).

But the hardest step is often realizing that you're actually making a choice.

Installing a library is a choice. Choosing a SaaS is a choice. Those are obvious ones. But writing a single line of code is also a choice. Not writing it is another (never forget the empty set option!) - and arguably, it's often the best one.

Many bugs and flaws stem from unconscious choices - when the person never took the time to imagine the consequences of their actions.

The best approach (and the hardest one, because it requires discipline) is to act more deliberately and thoughtfully - rather than improvising code as you go.