Failure Quote by Stewart Butterfield
“Slack is actually a technical term in product management that means the excess capacity the system has to absorb any failures or to take on new work. That's something that was really on our minds when we came up with it.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast with Stewart Butterfield, 2019
Slack refers to the extra capacity in a system that lets it handle failures or new tasks without breaking down.
In simple terms: Extra capacity that prevents overload.
Key Takeaway
Design systems with buffer.
Themes
product management
systems design
resilience
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
operational
strategic
When to use this quote
- software development
- project planning
- operations
- incident response
Key Concepts
capacity planning
risk management
Questions to Reflect On
- How much slack is optimal for your team?
- What risks arise from too much slack?
A Different Perspective
Buffers can increase cost and complexity.
![“The deal [between product owners and] engineering goes like this: Product management takes 20% of the team’s capacity right off the top and gives this to engineering to spend as they see fit. They might use it to rewrite, re-architect, or re-factor problematic parts of the code base...whatever…” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/06c/gene-kim-2268_management_the-deal-between-product-owners-and-engi_3202345.jpg)
