Every startup wants to move fast, but many aren't actually moving fast — they're skipping homework. The transition from 15 people to 150 people is where companies accidentally build complexities that later slow them down. Processes that worked around one table fail, and companies respond by adding more tools and people instead of simplifying.

The duplication problem is rampant: companies run two, sometimes three or even more internal apps performing the same function, each configured differently with separate maintenance costs. The same business outcome gets achieved by four different teams following undocumented processes. Documentation becomes whatever can be typed fastest — a Google Doc last touched six months ago, owned by someone who left.

Technical decisions by non-technical leaders create permanent debt: "Don't worry, I've sorted it" becomes a trap. Knowledge lives in people, not systems. When the engineer who "just knows" the payments quirk leaves, that knowledge walks out. This technical debt compounds silently and comes due at the worst moment — mid-fundraise, mid-outage, mid-resignation.

As a chief technologist, I find duplication first — killing redundant apps is the fastest win. Speed and rigour aren't enemies; the fastest teams are boringly disciplined. Pick one home for documentation, kill the second app, write the real workflow down before automating.