There is a Russian proverb that translates to:
“The first pancake is always spoiled.”
At first glance it sounds pessimistic, but I find it far more hopeful—and far more Agile-minded—than the common IT idiom:
“It is what it is.”
The proverb about the first pancake carries an important message: the first attempt at anything is rarely perfect. That is expected. It acknowledges that learning happens through doing. The first version may be messy, uneven, or even disappointing, but it serves an important purpose. It teaches us what works and what does not.
We accept that first attempt, learn from it, and move on to the next iteration.
When we cook pancakes, the first one often turns out wrong. The pan isn’t quite the right temperature yet. Maybe there’s too much butter, or not enough. The batter spreads differently than we expected. We cannot truly know these things until we put the butter in the pan and pour the batter down.
Only then do we start to understand.
The first pancake might be uneven or overcooked. Sometimes we toss it aside. Sometimes we eat it anyway. But either way, it has done its job: it has taught us how to make the next one better.
And that next one is already cooking.
Soon the pan is at the right temperature. The butter is just right. The pancakes start coming out golden and fluffy. In fact, the next ones are already in the pan. Can you smell them? Can you see them? They already look much better.
Now compare this mindset with the phrase:
“It is what it is.”
That phrase often carries a very different meaning. It suggests resignation rather than learning. It implies that the damage is too great, the technical debt is too high, and nothing can be done except endure the consequences. The project is broken, the resources are gone, and improvement feels impossible.
Where the first proverb says “we will do better next time,” the second often says “nothing can be done.”
The first pancake may be spoiled.
But the important thing is that we are still cooking.
Russian Proverbs