Move Fast and Improve Things: The Future of Innovation
The mantra “Move Fast and Break Things” has been synonymous with rapid innovation and disruptive growth. This approach prioritised speed over stability, encouraging companies to push boundaries without fear of breaking existing systems. While this mindset fuelled groundbreaking advancements, it also led to unintended consequences—data breaches, regulatory violations, and a loss of public trust.
Accepting that technology impacts every aspect of an organisation, Finworks believes it’s time for a new guiding principle: “Move Fast and Improve Things.” This approach embraces agility while ensuring that progress is sustainable, ethical, and beneficial to all stakeholders.
The Problems with Moving Too Fast Without Accountability
While speed remains a crucial factor in innovation, unchecked acceleration can cause significant harm. Some key risks of the outdated “break things” philosophy include:
- Short-term Gains vs. Long-term Impact – Rushed development can result in inefficient systems, technical debt, and costly fixes down the line.
- Erosion of Trust – Customers and employees lose confidence in organisations that prioritise speed at the expense of reliability and ethical responsibility.
- Regulatory and Ethical Concerns – Breaking things often means disregarding compliance standards, leading to privacy breaches and legal consequences.
Redefining Innovation: Speed with Responsibility
“Move Fast and Improve Things” encourages companies to maintain agility without sacrificing quality, security, and user experience. To achieve this, organisations must prioritise three key areas executing with purpose, keeping users at the centre of change and achieving measurable results.
Agile but Thoughtful Execution
Iterating quickly while ensuring that each change adds value and minimises risk.
User-Centric Design
Improvements should enhance user and customer experience, rather than simply optimising internal metrics.
Measuring Impact
Success should be evaluated not just by how fast something is launched but by how well it works and how it benefits users.
Strategies for Moving Fast and Improving Things
Organisations can embrace this balanced approach through several key strategies:
- Building Strong Foundations – Establishing resilient infrastructure, scalable systems, and clear governance to support innovation without instability.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration – Encouraging cooperation across departments to break down silos and ensure seamless execution.
- Leveraging AI and Automation – Using technology to enhance efficiency while maintaining accuracy and security.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making – Basing rapid changes on well-analysed insights rather than assumptions.
- Continuous Feedback Loops – Regularly assessing user experiences and making iterative improvements based on real-world data.
Case Studies & Real-World Applications
Many companies and public sector initiatives already embody the “Move Fast and Improve Things” philosophy:
- Apple’s Incremental Innovations – Apple prioritises steady, meaningful enhancements rather than launching unfinished features.
- Government Digital Transformation – Initiatives like GOV.UK One Login aim to modernise public services efficiently while maintaining security and accessibility.
The Future of Innovation: A More Sustainable Approach
The shift from “breaking things” to responsible, sustainable innovation is essential for businesses, governments, and society at large. Moving fast must not come at the cost of trust, security, or long-term success.
The best innovators will be those who find the perfect balance—maintaining agility while ensuring that every step forward truly improves the world around them. It’s time to build a future where we don’t just move fast and change things but move fast and make things better.
At Finworks, we partner with organisations to deliver secure, scalable, and future-ready platforms that transform operations. Our clients trust us to solve complex challenges by creating unique solutions that result in long-term partnerships built on transparency, collaboration, and continuous innovation.
We’re proud to be a trusted provider in the public sector—helping governments work smarter, every day.
To find out how we can build a solution that improves things for you get in touch with us today.
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