Second-System Effect

Biological Parallel

After germination success, plants often over-invest in their second growth phase (rapid vegetative expansion) and exhaust resources before reproductive maturity—the 'seedling trap' where early success breeds overconfidence. Having survived germination, the plant allocates aggressively to leaves and height, then dies when drought hits because roots remained shallow. Second-system effect mirrors this: after a successful first version (germination), teams over-design version two with every deferred feature, creating bloated complexity that collapses under its own weight, just as the overextended seedling topples when stressed because foundational investment was neglected.