Design discussions were rushed, and assumptions went unchallenged. Then we saw how one small oversight could snowball into hours of firefighting.
The morning sun was sharp in Boston as Raj, a Project Manager from India, stepped out of his cab during a client visit. His cab had slowed to a crawl near a bridge. At first impatient, he noticed something unusual, drivers calmly parking their cars and stepping out, not with irritation but with curiosity. “What’s happening?” he asked a woman beside him.
Raj lingered, watching. Workers documented every inch of the foundation, the steel, the alignment, nothing moved forward unless the current stage had passed its checks. No chaos, no shortcuts, no panic. He couldn’t help but compare it with his own project back home. Weeks earlier, the customer team had raised a concern, unit test coverage wasn’t comprehensive enough to catch regressions. The supplier team wasn’t tracking coverage at all. And every so often, a small unchecked gap would balloon into a late-night bug hunt right before release.
On the flight back, Raj kept replaying the bridge scene in his mind. If they can avoid collapse by measuring every step, why can’t we avoid breakdowns by measuring code coverage? When he landed, he gathered the team. “We’ve been leaving too much to chance,” Raj began.“No more blind spots,” Raj said firmly in the next team huddle. “From now on, code coverage will be visible and tracked.”
Neha, the senior developer, raised an eyebrow. “But won’t that slow us down?” Raj smiled. “Not if we do it smartly. We’ll define what counts as meaningful coverage, it’ll be part of our Definition of Done. We’ll bring in tools to automate checks, and we’ll set clear rules for when refactoring is needed if coverage slips.”
Slowly, the shift became visible.
Weeks later, Neha noticed it first. “This time,” she said with a smile, “no last-minute firefighting. The tests caught it all before release.” Deliverables were higher in quality, schedules became more predictable, and the team saved time that used to vanish in bug hunts. Within a few releases, Raj could confidently say they were shipping nearly 5% faster.
5%
Standing on that bridge in Boston, Raj had seen how unchecked gaps magnify into expensive problems. Back in his own project, he had ensured those gaps were measured, tracked, and closed. Because whether it’s concrete on a bridge or code in an I4.0 solution, what you don’t measure today will cost you tomorrow. Want to avoid costly design reworks in your I4.0 rollout? Let’s talk. Write to us at info@wonderbiz.in
Key Takeaway
When design steps are skipped, small gaps quietly turn into big problems. Tracking decisions,
documenting clearly, and reviewing designs early keeps work predictable and prevents costly fixes later.
