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phil
@phil
The adage “underpromise and overdeliver” might be a good way to make clients happy, but it doesn’t seem like a recipe for doing great work. There will naturally be uncertainty in any new project. “Underpromising” means sacrificing the timeline, budget, or scope to make sure you’re not wrong. Ambitious projects almost always take longer, cost more, and are more challenging than expected. Setting aggressive targets often means you will outperform others, even if you fail to meet your projection. A better framing might be “overpromise and overdeliver”.
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JAKE
@jake
https://x.com/0fjake/status/1376624828535480320?s=46
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tyler ↑
@trh
Do what you said you’d do and then some. And that little extra needs to be extra from the client’s perspective not just yours. I’ve seen teams “overdeliver” material that the client doesn’t see a need for, which can work against the relationship overall.
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ruburi
@ruburi
at some point i thought maybe people dont like when you say about something (not always promise) and then pivot the idea or start doing other things. but i think i realized that mostly people dgaf or even if they do, its better to build something with public iterations to validate the idea or just check for vibes or people’s energy. thats what im trying to do now
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K pfp
K
@kijijij
Team must understand what they know and what they don't know. Depending on experience, timeline, managers appetite to take risk expectations can be managed. As always what you don't know plays a big role in promising what gets delivered.
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valse
@0xvalse
This is a bold and refreshing take. You're right , “underpromise and overdeliver” can lead to playing it safe, which might keep clients happy short term but can stifle ambition and real innovation. It often incentivizes sandbagging instead of shooting for meaningful impact. “Overpromise and overdeliver” reframes the risk: it accepts that ambitious goals come with uncertainty, but treats that as a feature, not a bug. If you're consistently aiming higher than others , even if you miss , you often end up achieving more. Of course, the caveat is trust. Overpromising without a track record or the ability to communicate progress transparently can backfire. But when paired with integrity, adaptability, and a strong execution culture, it becomes a powerful driver of excellence. In a world full of cautious mediocrity, a little audacious ambition might be exactly what sets you apart.
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