the challenge with optionality is its invisibility. You can’t see the options you’ve discarded by taking certain paths, especially when prioritizing short-term NPV. A codebase riddled with quick fixes and technical debt reduces optionality, even though this may not be immediately apparent. The economic impact of lost optionality can be profound, often surpassing the apparent gains from focusing solely on NPV or survival.

The beauty of optionality is that options increase in value as the future becomes more uncertain. The less you know about the future, the greater the turmoil in the market, the greater the value of your options. And investment in software design creates options.