**Keep the mission _as simple and clear as possible_. Complexity creates confusion.** **Keep the mission as simple and clear as possible**. Complexity causes confusion and makes execution more difficult. The simpler the [[What is a Strategy|strategy]], the better. Things go sideways. It's a fact of life. Every [[What is a Plan|plan]] will have unanticipated things that try to bring it down. Simple plans allow you more flexibility and allow teams to adjust without needing to scrap the entire plan. If a plan is too [[System Complexity|complex]] it becomes too difficult to adjust when the stuff hits the fan. [[Simple is Maintainable]]. [[Do the Simplest Thing]]. Simplicity is powerful in terms of **communication**. A message that’s overly complex will not be heard. The simplest and most direct way to state an objective or approach is the best, even if it sometimes takes time. [[Simple vs Easy|Simple does not mean "easy".]] > Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. - <cite>Steve Jobs</cite> > **Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability** - <cite>Edsger Dijkstra</cite> **** # More ## Source - [[Extreme Ownership (book)]] - https://thenewstack.io/developers-rail-against-javascript-merchants-of-complexity/ - https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy/ - Dijkstra quote ## Related - [[Simple is Maintainable]] - [[YAGNI]] - [[Less, but Better]] - [[More is Unnecessary, Less is Impossible.]] - [[Worse is Better]]