No. 38 “Good, fast, cheap. Pick two.”
Translation
you can have two. Never all three.
Every project trades quality, speed & cost. Push on one & another gives.
Want it good & fast? It costs more. Good & cheap? It takes longer. Fast & cheap? It won’t be great.
Try this
Ask: which one are we willing to give up?
Where it comes from
The earliest print match Quote Investigator found: 1980, in Paul Dickson’s The Official Explanations, credited to James M. Wallace of Minneapolis.
He said it fit ad agencies & print shops. The tension is older: a 1921 construction text weighs quality, speed & cost.
Project managers call it the iron triangle. Designers just call it Tuesday.
- Quote Investigator, “Good, Fast, Cheap: Pick Any Two” (2023)
- Paul Dickson, The Official Explanations (1980)
Save this
Save this for the next time someone wants all three by Friday.
Every format
Carousel slides
