Is there a growing trend towards perfectionism among IT professionals, or is it declining?
If this question were to be treated as an election, then among our 11 voters, 3 have voted for decline, 4 have voted for increase and 4 have voted for nuanced.
Shobika, Anupreet and Vamsi explain the decline. Shobika observes that perfectionism is declining among the experienced employees, though it is increasing among the freshers.
Anupreet asserts that in the IT world, progress matters more than perfection. Perfection can sometimes deter processes, especially in software development. Rather, what is valued more is collaboration which shows progress in delivery rather than waiting for the product to be perfect. Or in other words, journey is more important than the destination.
Vamsi agrees. He explains that the agility needs of today’s digital natives are more about delivering a ‘minimum viable product’ in the shortest timeframe than eyeing a perfect solution in the first attempt. Trends across industries, including large enterprises globally, suggest a similar bias, he says.
Nathan, Sarita, Muhammad and Jayachandran explain the rise.
Nathan sees an increasing trend towards perfectionism among IT professionals, which is shaped by industry and work culture. He alludes that perfectionism has negative impacts on individuals which must be mitigated. Towards this goal, the industry is promoting a culture of learning, work-life balance, and collaboration. Nathan sees a balance between striving for high standards and maintaining a healthy work environment is crucial for IT professionals’ sustainable growth and success.
Like Nathan, Sarita too sees a growing trend towards perfectionism aided by tools and technologies that boost efficient. This is unlike earlier times when one had to find a good balance between perfectionism and delivery deadlines with a minimum acceptance level.
Likewise, Muhammad sees a growing tendency towards perfectionism among IT professionals, but only in professional work, while in other kinds of work, he sees a decline.
Jayachandran says that the IT industry is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, and the pursuit of perfection plays a significant role. He points out that a continuous stream of new and exciting products in the market which are better than previous ones, shows that IT professionals don’t sit on their laurels, but rather pursue improvement and perfection. He cites the iPhone as a classic example of perfectionism. No phone in the market is better and more perfect phone than the iPhone, but Apple still comes up with new technologies and better versions of the iPhone every year. Apple inspires IT professionals to make better products, he avers.
Nathan, though he sees a rise, lists 3 factors that might be leading to a decline in the pursuit of perfectionism:
- Agile and DevOps methodologies promote iteration and incremental improvement.
- Emphasis on collaboration over individual perfection.
- Shift towards pragmatism and realistic goals.
Binod, Girish, Harsh and Rohit see nuances in the pursuit of perfectionism.
For Binod, while some sectors may witness a growing emphasis on perfectionism driven by heightened competition and evolving technological demands, others may experience a decline when they prioritize efficiency and adaptability. What shapes this trend is factors such as organizational culture, industry standards, and individual inclinations that play a crucial role.
Professionals in sectors where precision and reliability are paramount, such as cybersecurity or critical systems development, lean towards perfectionism to ensure flawless outcomes, observes Binod. Conversely, those in fast-paced, iterative environments like software development may prioritize agility and pragmatism over absolute perfection. Recognizing this diversity fosters a balanced work culture that values both excellence and flexibility.
Likewise, Girish sees that the push for innovative and flawless solutions drives some towards perfectionism, but there is also a counter-trend that emphasizes agile methodologies and iterative development, that value continuous improvement over initial perfection.
Harsh describes perfection as a moving target. While the new generation may not be judged on writing perfect code from the start, their journey toward perfection is ongoing and experience-driven. What each successful project teaches is valuable lessons, leading to cleaner and better implementations in future endeavours. This trend is tied to continuous learning and experience.
Rohit dives into the tech perspective. He says the IT industry is maturing with AI Code Co-Pilots, everything as a software service, and Intelligent Self-Healing systems. This means more intelligent, standardized, and automated systems that lead to better practices, which are further egged on by tighter regulatory norms and better digital public infrastructure.
The industry cannot move to a perfect world, but the ‘Average Joe’ is definitely much smarter and more productive in artificially intelligent IT.
So, what is the aggregate analysis? It is that the IT industry desires perfectionism and strives for it, but is not deeply attached to it and will select other priorities when needed.
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