[solarmist]

> The truth is that there are things that you can't fix through iteration. Things like having an incorrect data model.

Yes! I spent a year iterating on my prototype for my startup for precisely this reason. The data model kept changing and that had repercussions through every other part of the prototype. Often leading to reworking entire components.

The data model is that the core of everything for my prototype, so it was more than worth the time spent.

[Aqueous]

Indeed, this is precisely what makes getting it right up front so important. As mentioned above, the data model tends to proliferate across anything that interacts with it. The principles of normalization mean that there is usually one natural way to interact with a given conceptual entity, given current and potential future requirements, but thousands of ways to box yourself in. Getting it wrong can mean the wrong assumptions about the data shape propagate across thousands of lines of code, preventing the possibility of ever implementing certain features in a clean, maintainable way.

[mod]

> there are things that you can't fix through iteration

> Yes! I spent a year iterating...for precisely this reason

Seems like you're presenting a counter-point while simultaneously agreeing.

[Aqueous]

I think the takeaway is "a year." Businesses typically don't have a year to fix something like this, so saying something will take a year usually means, "It's impossible."

[solarmist]

Totally, but this is a full greenfield project. It's a pretty unusual situation to be in.

It definitely a first for me.

[NovemberWhiskey]

You deliberately omitted the word "prototype" from the quote. They didn't spend a year iterating in production. The prototype is the one you plan to throw away.