[arciini]

In my experience, this cycle of "add features and performance regresses" and "fix performance" is actually not a bad way to do it, because it allows for better overall budgeting.

If you're constantly ensuring that performance doesn't regress, this makes certain features a lot harder to implement. In some cases, the better solution is not to "make this feature take a lot less of the budget", but to say, "are there other parts of the budget that are easier to cut than the current feature".

Having regular performance optimization sprints allows for us to "cut where it's easiest" rather than forcing us to restrict non-performant features, when they might be very useful for the business.

[uluyol]

Monitoring is key here. The point is that sacrificing performance should be a conscious decision not an accidental one. Small fixes can sometimes prevent big regressions from ever occurring.

[hinkley]

All problems can be solved by adding a layer of abstraction.

Performance is improved by removing a layer of abstraction.

Lather, rinse, repeat.