Build Lean or Die Bloated "Take only what you need to survive" — Lone Starr, Spaceballs

In the relentless world of websites, apps, and software, Lean Development is the last bastion of sanity. It’s not about being miserly or minimalist just to brag about financial sensibility. It’s about making things that work without hemorrhaging money on every shiny feature under the sun just because “the Joneses down the street have it.” Lean means thinking smart and moving fast—taking only what you need and ditching the rest.

Here’s the plan: to go lean, you start by mapping out the full vision of your project. But don’t get cozy with it. Once it’s all laid out, take a machete to it. Break it down into core features—the essentials that make your product actually useful. Then, dissect those features down into micro-features, small enough for a developer to get an estimate on and knock out without taking a vow of celibacy. This is when you should ask the tough questions: does this feature genuinely create value? Will anyone care? If it’s just extra shit for the sake of being extra, cut it.

“But my business is already a massive success”

Lean isn’t a one-time approach; it’s an ongoing survival tactic. Once you launch, you gather feedback, sift through what users are asking for, and focus on delivering the features they actually want, not the ones you imagined they’d drool over just because of those damned Joneses down the street. By adding small as you go, you not only keep your audience engaged but also signal to search engines and social media algorithms that you’re alive, improving, and worth paying attention to. You evolve, a little at a time, because in tech, anything that sits still is already halfway to the grave.

If you’re an established business, lean is no longer optional—it’s life support. The days of loading your website or app with junk and hoping for the best are over. To stay relevant, lean shows customers (and the all-seeing search algorithms) that you’re listening, improving, and ready to deliver real value.

Bottom line: cut the bulllshit, stay agile, and go lean. Otherwise get smothered by your own dead weight.