Too many of us want the perfect deliverable. The problem is, we don't have unlimited budgets or schedules. These two factors were listed as the Number One challenge for project managers in Zweig White & Associates' 1999 Project Management Survey of A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms.
How can we change this? The solution lies in providing excellence versus perfection. In this case, we define "excellence" as reaching the highest quality possible with the resources provided by both the firm and the client. The perfect project, on the other hand, is completed with no defects or deficiencies. It may be "perfect"...but it's also impossible to accomplish. However, if our goals are extremely high and we apply good project management techniques, we can and will achieve excellence.