How to Keep Change Affordable

Keep change affordable:

• Short iterations and small stories: Reduce the blast radius of any decision.
• Continuous integration and delivery: Keep the product always releasable so swapping scope is easy.
• Automated tests and refactoring: Make code safe to change; the test suite proves we didn’t break value already delivered.
• Modular architecture and clear seams: Localize change instead of rewriting the world.
• Feature flags and branch-by-abstraction: Enable gradual rollouts and safe reversals.
• Backlog hygiene and ROI-driven ordering: Replace lower-ROI work with higher-ROI work at minimal switching cost.
• WIP limits: Less inventory in flight means less rework when priorities shift.