Ok, we probably need to stop before getting on to the gold plating, but how thorough do we really need to be, in practice?
Perfectionism probably isn’t the ideal trait, in most situations. We need cost-effectiveness too.
There’s a difference between perfect and thorough though, I think – how elaborate the specification versus how well it’s implemented.
Perhaps it’s my experiences in engineering and software development and publishing books, but I expect a certain thoroughness and rigour and am disappointed if I don’t see it. I can tell if not that much effort has gone into eliminating errors. I suppose I’m conditioned by how hard it is to get a piece of software or an electronic system to function correctly, for example.
What about you…
How much thoroughness do you expect from yourself, and from other people?