Team members who retard progress because of the desire to perfect non-critical deliverables should be given clear direction with respect to interdependencies and be time-boxed with respect to delivery. Endless analysis or discovery of business-related data is a common area where this behavior occurs.

On the other hand, a quality manager working on a collaborative team developing a medical device where anything less than perfection could result in death, should be rewarded for rejecting sub-standard results from team members. Collaboration does not always equal compromise.

Figure out which side of the “perfectionism spectrum” you find yourself and use the context to guide your actions.