Impossible triangle

When choosing a product or service, we are almost always faced with the classic dilemma: triangle price - quality - deadline. It is an unwritten rule that makes it clear - you can only choose two of the three qualities.Trying to reconcile all three at the same time is almost impossible. And if someone stubbornly claims to be able to execute something in line with all these principles, they are most likely lying. Which is often seen in the advertising industry.

If you want a high-quality product at a low price, you have to expect long waiting times. In such a situation, the supplier cannot afford to provide a fast service because it requires additional resources and higher costs. He simply does his job, if he hits an occasional profit, your project goes away for a while. This approach is often found in crafts or the production of unique bespoke items. If you want something of exceptionally good quality but cannot afford the high price, you simply have to be patient.

In the film industry, this principle manifests itself in low-budget productions. If the client expects professional processing, with fine-tuned effects, colour correction and, above all, precise and artistically polished editing, this takes time. Good effects are not created immediately, and working on the details requires patience. An editor often watches and corrects a few seconds of film dozens of times, simply because each new look at the material allows one to see something new that can be improved.

Similarly, in programming - if an application is to work flawlessly and be well optimised, a quick 'cobbled together' code for a pittance will never give the best result. It's still half bad when the application has a limited amount of interaction with the target user. But for web applications that are supposed to be user-friendly and intuitive, predicting all possible user behaviours takes time and thought. I know from experience that it takes the most time to predict and test user behaviour and write all possible safeguards against actions that are either intentionally or unintentionally malicious, or let's face it, stupid. The main code itself is usually simple and quick to write, but what happens in the background is a different story.

Fast and cheap services often mean compromising on quality. Cheap materials, less experienced staff or minimising working time translate into an end result that rarely meets high standards. Examples of this are budget products or express repairs that require further revisions. Perhaps we live in an age where no product has to be of high quality because it will be thrown away after a few uses anyway. Well, if someone is happy with that, they have free will, but I personally am not in favour of this approach.

When it comes to film production, and especially editing, quick and cheap productions often mean a lack of attention to detail. Quick editing results in inaccurate cuts, poor synchronisation of sound and image or a lack of advanced colour correction. The artistic side of quick editing can be forgotten. OK, some ‘TikTok’ or ‘Insta rolls’ can be done quickly and cheaply, but this is not the art of filmmaking. A good editor can even create something special from low-budget footage, but it takes time and commitment.

In programming, on the other hand, it's a straightforward path to code full of bugs that will require multiple revisions, which will ultimately increase working time and costs. And it can result in far-reaching problems if not well secured and tested. Today, a lot of code is simply generated by AI. This speeds up the work considerably, but if a programmer in a hurry does not even have time to read the generated code properly, there can be no talk of a quality product.

If you want high quality and fast turnaround times, you will have to pay for it. Good professionals have tight schedules, and delivering the best product in a short space of time requires extra resources and a bigger budget. Someone may have to set aside other productions to concentrate on working for you, and it certainly won't be for free. That's why exclusive services and products are expensive - you're paying for their quality and priority.

In the case of video editing, a fast and good production requires a bigger crew, splitting the work over several jobs and therefore more expensive equipment and additional resources. Likewise in programming - creating a robust application in a short time requires the involvement of many experienced programmers, which significantly increases costs. And it is well known that really good professionals always have their hands full, so their time is valuable. If a client wants quality and a deadline ‘right now’, they have to expect high costs. Sometimes really high, but that's a story for a separate article.

The price-quality-time triangle is a universal mechanism that works in almost every industry.It is worth remembering that high-quality products and services simply have to cost more. In programming, film production and video editing, this principle is particularly evident - good quality and fast delivery always mean higher costs. Therefore, instead of looking for unrealistic solutions, it is better to consider what we care about most and make a conscious choice.