“The primary goal is to deliver software; the secondary goal is to set up for the following game.
Reaching the primary goal is clear: If you don’t deliver the software, it won’t matter how nicely you have set up for the following game.
If, on the other hand, you deliver the software and do a poor job of setting up for the following game, you jeopardize the game.”
I am quoting Cockburn here because it resonates with my experience over the past 30 years, as does much in his writings.