Business operations concept · updated August 9, 2026
Cost of Delay
Cost of delay is the value lost, in revenue, risk, or opportunity, for every unit of time a decision or piece of work is postponed.
Example
Delaying a pricing change by a quarter has a concrete cost, the extra revenue that would have come in sooner, even if the change itself is otherwise free to make.
Why it matters
Putting a number on delay reframes "we'll get to it eventually" as an active cost being paid every day the decision waits, not a neutral default.
Limits and cautions
Estimating cost of delay for every decision is impractical. It's most useful for genuinely high-stakes items where the delay cost is significant and calculable.
Relevance to Stelaah
Stelaah's prioritization and roadmap views can surface how long an initiative has been waiting, making delay visible even without a precise dollar figure.
This connection describes product intent, not a guarantee that every plan or workflow supports every related capability.