In the world of public sector work and emergency management, the stakes are high, and the pressure to “get it right” is immense. Mistakes can have serious consequences, so it’s no wonder that perfection often feels like the safest path forward. That mindset served me well in many scenarios where precision was critical.

But now, as a SaaS founder building Preppr.ai, I’ve realized how much that drive for perfection has carried over—and how it’s holding me back. Instead of launching features or gathering user feedback quickly, I’ve caught myself tinkering endlessly, treating Preppr like a personal project rather than a tool that evolves through real-world use. It’s been a humbling lesson: progress often matters more than perfection.

Even in emergency management, especially outside the high-pressure moments of response, not every decision is life-or-death. As Noah Desai Weiss, former Chief Product Officer at Slack, wisely observed, there are plenty of “two-way doors”—decisions you can make, test, and revise later. The key is recognizing which doors can be walked back through and leaning into the opportunity they provide for learning and growth.

Here’s how this mindset shift can reshape preparedness efforts:

• Plans Don’t Have to Be Perfect: Start with a solid draft, implement it, and improve based on real-world feedback. A functional plan that evolves is far more valuable than a perfect plan that gathers dust.

• Exercises Can Be Smaller and Simpler: Instead of trying to design a comprehensive drill that covers every scenario, focus on running smaller, targeted exercises more frequently. These build muscle memory and uncover actionable insights without overwhelming your team.

• Public Messaging Doesn’t Need to Wait: In the face of uncertainty, the perfect strategy can feel elusive. But starting with honest, transparent messaging—even if it’s not polished—builds trust and allows for adaptation as you learn what resonates with your audience.

This mindset shift hasn’t been easy for me, but it’s transforming how I approach both Preppr and preparedness work. Small, imperfect actions often reveal more insights than endless planning, and low-risk, reversible decisions lead to meaningful progress over time.

So, where in our non-response preparedness work can we embrace “two-way doors”? Where can we let go of the need to be perfect and instead focus on moving forward? The answers might surprise us—and they might just make us better prepared.