If your product launches late, over budget, or with quality issues; you’ve met the Iron Triangle. In this episode, Adrian and Paul break down the three corners (cost, time, quality), the real-world trade-offs founders and product teams face, and the “hidden” fourth factor that turns the triangle into a pyramid. The key takeaway: choose your anchor early and don’t quietly change it mid-project, at least, not without considering the implications.
Episode Sections:
00:00 Intro + what the “Iron Triangle” is
02:37 Corner #1: Cost (dev, prototypes, tooling, fixtures, compliance)
06:13 Corner #2: Time (deadlines, trade shows, competitor launches, investor milestones)
09:43 Corner #3: Quality (specs, requirements, yield, “what quality means”)
13:25 Scenario 1: Speed is king (90-day push → cost up or quality down/MVP)
16:54 Scenario 2: Quality is king (bigger/longer field trial → time + cost increase)
19:34 Scenario 3: Budget is fixed (scope creep, hidden costs, marketing budget)
26:21 Beyond the triangle: Risk (the “pyramid” and what each tradeoff risks)
33:10 Pro tip #1: Don’t change your anchor (make it visual)
36:27 Pro tip #2: Change is a killer
37:12 Pro tip #3: Phase-gate reviews (explicitly re-check the anchor)
40:13 Wrap + CTA
Related content...
- Can You Afford to Manufacture Your Idea? Budget Truths from Idea to Mass Production
- Why does new product development take so long?
- NPD Project Constraints (3 common examples)
- How To Reduce Risks When Developing New Products? [Video]
- Product Development Lifecycle: Why and How to Reduce its Time?
- Cost Vs Quality – How to improve yours.
- Dangers of Amortizing Development Costs in the Production Price
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