Get the Donuts Out the Door: The Tension Between Craftsmanship and Deadlines

robatsea2009. 2010. “Dunkin Donuts 1984 TV Commercial.” YouTube Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZtMfMWONI.

I’m torn on the concept of “getting the donuts out the door” versus truly doing great work.  Where and when do you make the distinction? For context, back in 1984 Dunkin' Donuts aired its famous commercial "Time to Make the Donuts," featuring a bleary-eyed baker rising before dawn, rain or shine, to meet production. “Get the donuts out the door” has always been a phrase in my career that meant getting the work done fast. “Let’s get these donuts out the door!” Over the years this phrase has just become part of my working vernacular.

There is also the concept of owning every pixel. Being a master craftsman, creating exceptional work. Early in my career, a former employer taught me that B+ work was acceptable. Years later, leading my own team, I struggled with the tension between hitting deadlines and delivering nothing short of masterful work.

So what is the right answer? Jim Collins famously opened his book Good to Great with a simple premise: "Good is the enemy of great." That distinction is critical. As a creative business, high craftsmanship is our primary currency. So at what point do you stop pushing pixels and ship the work?

At Honest, we believe in doing truly great work. Compelling work that moves people and moves the needle for businesses. And that comes at a cost… the cost of time. Great work and deadlines are at odds. The old marketing adage applies here, Price. Quality. Speed. Pick Two. Do we let clients decide the fate of our reputation, or do we as creatives remove "quality" from the decision-making process? Having quoted shipbuilder Collis Potter Huntington in the past, his words ring in my head with every project. “We shall build good ships here; at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always good ships.” Maybe price and speed become the driving factors and quality is not a variable? 

The answer in design and marketing hits differently than creating art. Artists get to live in a world of “art for art sake.” Marketing and design have deadlines, KPIs, and an expectation of a return on investment. We live in the tension of creating great work without compromise and getting that work out the door, on time and on budget. Like a fine restaurant, the quality of the ingredients matter. The presentation of the food matters. The timing of the meal and its components matter. Remove even one and you might as well not even serve the meal. 

At Honest, we embrace that tension. We care about the entire experience, down to the finest details, because shipping on time should never mean serving compromise. See how that philosophy translates into practice at behonest.studio.