Great software developers have inevitably learned from previous failures. Is the cost of lessons learned always the implicit lowering of project quality?
As Steven Wright said:

Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

It is true that you can learn from books, blogs, and colleagues without impacting your current project, but wasn’t their wisdom derived from failure as well?

With technology moving at the pace that it is, will software development always be viewed as the bumbling idiot?

Lots of questions, willing to hear lots of opinions…

Unfocused clients can wreak havoc on your project primarily because they monopolize time attempting to figure out what they desire. Time spent giving professional advice is never wasted, but doomed projects will waste budget by allowing the client to manipulate details back and forth until all options are exhausted.

Have you ever been in this client meeting?

Week 1: “The blue is too blue”
Week 2: “This design is too spartan, plus I don’t like blue anymore.”
Week 3: “Too busy, and what happened to the blue design?”

Allowing unfocused clients to manipulate your time is like rearranging furniture in an unfinished house. Back and forth we move furniture around our houses, only to decide that we liked the original place setting the best. Software is no different, especially with unfocused clients. These clients will suffer from the software imprinting dilemma, permanently influenced by the first design but will feel the need to see different options until their curiosity is satisfied.

Indecisive clients will not start to have solid opinions until they realize their budget is at an end. Be quick to identify time being hijacked by an unfocused client and eliminate it. Explain to clients that these types of decisions are trivial (and is like rearranging furniture), but that core features need to take precedence.