Have you heard this before? That it is in a hurry and that quality is important? And don’t exceed the budget. This is the balancing act we all work with – the production triangle – the relationship between time, quality and cost.
Just as for our clients, quality is high on the priority list. And like our clients, we also think it’s great when deliveries are fast. We also believe that budgets should be kept, regardless of size. But what happens when the client wants it all – high quality, fast and at a low price? Meeting all three requirements is impossible. One must be removed.
THE BALANCE
Both the client and the supplier must be aware of the above and therefore ask themselves: “Which two do I choose?”
Can we do it fast? Yes, probably, but extra resources are required to maintain quality, which means that the budget must be increased.
Can we deliver a specific type of quality on a low budget? Sure, but then more time is required, which does not always work. Can we accept a low budget? Maybe, but then perhaps the requirements for quality need to be lowered?
TIME IS MONEY
Part of this equation is not entirely straightforward – of course, we are talking about time.
To spend more time on production is to tie up resources, which costs money – equals a higher budget.
Therefore, we recommend that you discuss the production triangle before each project to (if necessary) deselect one of them.