> Which is more important to accomplish by EOY, to adopt k8s or to ship the new feature? There is an objectively correct answer to that
This doesn't really negate your point, but what do you mean by objective?
It seems to me like this would depend on a number of factors, like
- How much time you stand to save in the long run by switching to k8s.
- How much revenue or growth you stand to gain in the short run by adding the new feature.
- How much you prioritize the long run versus the short run.
Of those factors, the first two can only be vaguely estimated; you can gain more information by having sales and development talk to each other, but ultimately someone needs to make a fairly subjective judgement call. And the third factor is even more subjective.
Indeed, I'd argue that ability to handle subjectivity is a strong point of top-down processes. For questions with an objectively correct answer that can be discerned through discussion, there's less need for such a formal and rigid structure; the group of individuals who care most about the specific issue (who may not all line up neatly on the org chart) can meet and hash it out. It's when people can't come to an agreement that it helps to have someone above them to make the decision.