Striving for "It Doesn't Suck"

While waiting for the bus I looked across the street and noticed that someone seemed to have written a long essay on the plywood surrounding the construction site.  While I couldn't read much of it, what I could read was very thought provoking:

... should we be striving for "it doesn't suck" as our goal?

Is "it doesn't suck" ever something we should strive for? 

As I sat down on the bus, thousands of images flashed through my mind, all of them related to that comment.  For instance, did you know that of the last 24 toy recalls in the United States, every single one has been related to a product that has been shipped from China?  Due to various pressures, both in the Chinese company manufacturing the toy and the American company importing the toy, the people involved probably thought that "it doesn't suck" was a pretty good choice.

It doesn't suck doesn't necessarily mean that something is good, just that it isn't bad.  There is still a wide gap between good and bad and it doesn't suck only covers a small area of that gap.  Now, I will be the first to admit that this problem is not specific to one role within the project.  Everyone, from the project manager to the developer and everyone in between, has to commit to striving for something better.  While one weak link in the chain can have a downward affect on the overall quality of an application, that does not mean that it cannot be remedied.

When I was younger I remember the news talking about the lack of quality of North American products and how products from overseas were better built and cost less money.  Ford started an ad campaign about "Quality is Job 1".  Much has happened since that time.  Overseas products no longer have the same high regard as they used to (at least some overseas products), but the rise in quality in North American products has not been that great.

The sign of a great company, and great staff, is one where no one strives for "it doesn't suck".  The purpose behind all of our work is continual improvement towards something better.  Something good.  Something great.  In my mind, what we should be striving for is "it's awesome".