Things often move slowly; traffic, internet speeds, delayed projects. Just pointing out slowness alone though, without the underlying reasons, is shallow.
There are two kinds of slow in systems: unintentional, where things spiral out of control, and intentional, where slowness is a trade-off for a better outcome.
I was thinking about this while stuck in London traffic last month. In Athens, traffic jams are chaotic and unintentional. In London, despite moving slower, the pace felt intentional. Cars gave each other space, preventing jams from worsening, and pedestrians had room to cross. I prefer this.
Like traffic, projects can slow down for different reasons. Sometimes it's due to poor communication or inefficiency. Other times, though, delays are intentional; a necessary choice to avoid compromising quality.
Taking extra time is fine to ensure that quality meets a high bar, especially if the delivery date can be a bit flexible. After all, most people would rather wait for well-prepared food than get something half-baked.
If needed, we prefer to be a little late and right than on time and wrong.
