In a rush to deliver quickly, it’s easy to forget the long-term consequences of mistakes made along the way. This is where the concept of follow-on errors comes in. Follow-on errors happen when one mistake leads to another, creating a chain reaction of problems. Over time, this cycle can spiral out of control. When using scalable tools like language models (LMs) or agents, even small errors can have explosive consequences, magnifying as systems are scaled. Despite this, the idea of follow-on errors is often overlooked in the drive to keep things moving fast.

In many teams, the priority is clear: speed comes first. The focus is on delivering quickly, even if it means taking a “fast and sloppy” approach. The mindset is that getting something out there as soon as possible is more important than taking the time to make it perfect. However, this approach comes with risks. Errors made early can take much more time and effort to fix later, especially as they multiply and spread through the process.

To reduce the risk of follow-on errors, it’s important to address problems early before they have the chance to escalate. Small, lightweight checkpoints and quick reviews can help your team identify and resolve issues before they start to snowball. When scaling processes or integrating tools like LMs, testing in small, incremental steps can make a big difference. It’s better to uncover mistakes in a controlled setting than when everything is already running at full scale.

Another way to minimize follow-on errors is to encourage open communication within your team. Building a simple, clear feedback process lets team members raise concerns or flag errors as soon as they notice something is off. This keeps errors from slipping through the cracks and creating bigger problems down the line. Shifting your mindset as a team can also help. Moving fast doesn’t have to mean moving carelessly. Small investments in error prevention early on can save a lot of time, energy, and frustration later.

Follow-on errors can feel like an unavoidable byproduct of working quickly, but they don’t have to be. By catching minor issues before they escalate and scaling thoughtfully, it’s possible to strike a better balance between speed and quality. Delivering quickly is important, but delivering sustainably and effectively should be the real goal.