WordPress: Why Incremental Development Wins

I had a client, a mid-sized content site, who needed a tiny tweak for their custom post type editor. Nothing major, just a small UI improvement to streamline their editorial workflow. We’re talking about a quick win, maybe a few hours of development, right?

Well, the junior dev on the project, bless his heart, got caught up trying to make it “bulletproof” from day one. He wanted to account for every possible edge case, every future enhancement. What should have been a two-day task stretched into two months of internal back-and-forth, all because we were chasing perfection instead of pragmatic progress. It was a total nightmare.

This isn’t just about junior devs, though. It’s a common pitfall in our industry: the paralysis of perfection. We see it in the wider WordPress ecosystem too. During the recent WordPress Dev Chat for 6.9, there was a whole discussion on “Incremental Improvements in WordPress.” The consensus? Every case needs context, and sometimes, good enough for now is better than perfect never.

Embracing Pragmatic WordPress Updates

The core team itself is navigating this. With WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 1 out now, we’re seeing a ton of features—like improvements to Block Bindings and the Interactivity API—that are evolving incrementally. They’re not waiting for a mythical “perfect” state before shipping. They’re pushing out valuable pieces, gathering feedback, and iterating. This is how real-world software gets built. This is how you deliver value to clients without getting bogged down.

For our client’s custom post type, the “perfect” solution involved a complex React component with state management for every conceivable interaction. The pragmatic solution, the one that shipped two months late but could have been done instantly, was a simple filter hook. Period.

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Bbioon Custom Post Type Editor Improvements
 * Description: Adds a small, pragmatic improvement to the CPT editor.
 * Version: 1.0.0
 * Author: Bbiioon
 * Text Domain: bbiioon-cpt-editor
 */

defined( 'ABSPATH' ) || die();

add_action( 'admin_footer', 'bbiioon_add_cpt_editor_notice' );

/**
 * Add a small, non-intrusive notice to the CPT editor.
 */
function bbiioon_add_cpt_editor_notice() {
    global $post;
    if ( ! $post || 'your_custom_post_type' !== $post->post_type ) {
        return;
    }
    ?>
    <!-- wp:html -->
    <div class="notice notice-info is-dismissible bbiioon-cpt-notice">
        <p><strong>Bbiioon Dev Tip:</strong> Remember to review the metadata before publishing.</p>
    </div>
    <!-- /wp:html -->
    <style>
        .bbiioon-cpt-notice {
            margin-top: 15px;
            border-left-color: #007cba;
        }
    </style>
    <?php
}

// More complex features can be built incrementally on this.
// For example, adding a simple metabox first, then enhancing it.
add_action( 'add_meta_boxes', 'bbiioon_register_cpt_metabox' );
function bbiioon_register_cpt_metabox() {
    add_meta_box(
        'bbiioon_cpt_simple_info',
        __( 'Bbiioon Post Info', 'bbiioon-cpt-editor' ),
        'bbiioon_render_cpt_metabox',
        'your_custom_post_type',
        'side',
        'low'
    );
}

function bbiioon_render_cpt_metabox( $post ) {
    ?>
    <!-- wp:paragraph -->
    <p>This is a placeholder for future, more advanced options. For now, it's just a simple info box.</p>
    <!-- /wp:paragraph -->
    <?php
}
?>

This code isn’t revolutionary, but it is functional. It immediately solves a small problem and can be iterated upon. That’s the key with pragmatic WordPress updates. Get the core functionality working, get it in front of users, and then refine. It’s what keeps development moving forward, not stuck in a cycle of endless refinement.

The Real Cost of Perfection

The lesson here is simple: striving for absolute perfection from the outset often leads to delayed features, increased costs, and frustrated clients. Instead, focus on shipping valuable, functional updates iteratively. The WordPress core team understands this, and honestly, so should we.

Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.

What’s your take? Do you push for perfection, or do you prioritize incremental delivery?