IT Product Development: The Case for Prioritizing Quality Over Innovation

What’s more important, innovation or quality?

This question continues to spark debate in IT product development. For many, the allure of innovation stands out—it’s exciting, fresh, and attention-grabbing. But as Cramer Brooks, Senior Power Platform Consultant at Smartbridge, explains, when it comes to IT, quality takes precedence over innovation.

Why Quality Outranks Innovation in IT

IT is fundamentally about using technology to support business objectives. It’s not just about deploying the latest flashy tools; it’s about ensuring the technology is dependable, functional, and meets the needs of the business. As Brooks puts it, “Innovation might be exciting and a good way to start a conversation, but the concept falls flat when it comes to truly depending on a tool to accomplish a task that your job might depend on to be successful.”

In other words, businesses rely on IT products to perform critical tasks. If those products fail to deliver on quality—whether due to bugs, poor design, or lack of usability—they fail to deliver value to the business.

Innovation and Quality Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

While quality is critical, innovation remains an essential driver of progress and competitive advantage. Neglecting innovation in favor of quality alone risks stagnation. The good news? You don’t have to choose between the two.

In fact, the best IT products seamlessly combine quality and innovation, delivering solutions that are both dependable and cutting-edge. As outlined in our article on driving digital innovation, fostering innovation begins with leadership that actively supports experimentation and collaboration. However, innovation thrives best when built on a solid foundation of quality.

Here are two ways businesses can balance quality and innovation:

Building Products with Both Quality and Innovation

To effectively combine quality and innovation, development teams should focus on quality first, following these steps:

However, once a solid foundation of quality is established, the focus can shift to thoughtful innovation. By introducing innovative features incrementally, teams can ensure they enhance user experience without compromising reliability.

You can compare this balance to kitchen tools: “In a professional kitchen, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who values a combination tool as-seen-on-TV over a conventional, premium chef’s knife,” says Brooks. In IT, the same principle applies—quality is essential for trust and utility, while innovation enhances the experience when thoughtfully integrated.

A CIO’s Perspective: Prioritizing Both

For CIOs, the challenge often lies in striking the right balance between ensuring quality and driving innovation. This balance is critical to staying competitive in today’s fast-paced landscape. Our CEO, Sri Raju, provides strategic insights for IT leaders on how to achieve this in his article, AI, Data, and Innovation: CIO Priorities for 2025.

By taking a leadership approach that encourages innovation while maintaining high-quality standards, CIOs and IT leaders can ensure their teams deliver solutions that not only meet business needs but also position them for long-term success.

Finding the Right Balance in IT Product Development

Ultimately, IT product development doesn’t have to choose between quality and innovation—it’s about finding the right balance. By prioritizing quality first, organizations can ensure their solutions are dependable and build on this foundation with innovative features that bring added value to users.

At Smartbridge, we’ve seen firsthand the importance of delivering quality-first IT solutions that don’t sacrifice innovation. By focusing on rigorous testing, strong quality controls, and listening to users, we ensure the products we implement empower businesses to achieve their goals with confidence.

Want to learn more about how Smartbridge prioritizes quality in IT product development? Let’s talk.