Time is Money
In their race to bring new products to market, companies' (yes, not just startups) sense of urgency is built on Franklin's Time-Money equation.
Actually, you find yourself counting TIME by three parallel and interactive scales:
The schedule that was communicated to stake holders, management and/or investors (often described as "challenging"...not to say crazy unrealistic)
The cold reality of the calendar (no-one remembers to take holidays and vacations into account...) and the fear of the competition (be sure, the other team feels the same...)
and money, which is driven by your burn rate which is quite rigid.
Here is my take on how to handle this:
Focus - define IN WRITING your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Know your must-haves, should-haves and nice to haves. Have red-lines that must not be moved (product reliability metrics are a good place to start)
Plan - Product roadmap, resources, schedule and budget.
Experience - make sure the team has the right leadership and support for the inevitable occasion when real life pushes everyone off the plan, and decisions need to be taken.
And remember, everything seems worth it once the product is launched.
