I take offense to <i>idea</i> of speed as a priority, though not necessarily to the whole article.<p>> All else being equal, the fastest company in any market will win.<p>All else is never equal when speed is the driving factor. I have <i>never</i> seen a company execute well while pressuring for speed.<p>It's significantly more important to think about systems. What is the cooperative source of your speed? What are the barriers to making good product quickly? What allows us to make faster decisions?<p>Invariably, without fail, unequivocally, the answers to these questions—which are sources of speed, quality, and market fit—lie in the systems that compose a company. Not systems as in slow methodical heavy processes, but systems as in a clear understanding of how things are connected and how to continually improve how they work.<p>Start with systems, then you can go fast. It's ludicrously dangerous to put the cart before the horse. Granted, much of this article dives into detail on how to make things run smoother in order to go fast—that's great, but if you make it the primary focus, imagine how fast you could go.<p>Speed... a noble goal, but as W. Edwards Deming said, "By what method?"