Perfection Is Not Over-Engineering
The author argues that 'over-engineering' is often misunderstood as 'caring too much' about quality, when it is actually the result of solving the wrong problem. True perfection is defined as the only solution that fits a specific, well-defined set of constraints.
Why it matters
It provides a framework for software development teams to balance technical quality with project requirements and efficiency.
"We don't want to do perfect." "We don't want to build the perfect solution." I've heard versions of that line more times than I can count, delivered as if "perfect" were a dirty word. And I understand the caution — over-engineering burns teams, and people have learned to treat anything that smells like perfection as the same risk.
It isn't. The industry has quietly conflated the two.
Over-engineering is solving the wrong problem . That's the whole definition. Not "caring too much." Not "making it too good." Solving the wrong problem. Often with good intentions, and almost always with a growing pile of incidental complexity.
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