202309021620 Important trade-offs have u-curve optimizations

When considering important trade offs, we can see that in many situations graphing the value of the cost or benefit of the two things will vary indirectly, forming an X shaped graph. Therefore, minimizing the total cost in the trade off will be a U shape sitting in the middle above the X. Similarly, maximizing the benefit in a situation might mean leaning fully into one direction.¹

Many projects or problems should sit in the middle of the u-curve where we have a good balance of its properties. Other projects might require one property be maximized even at the cost of others. My blog post 202610121056 Where do you start a project? discusses this situation a bit.