What is yak shaving?
Yak shaving is engineering and startup slang for the seemingly pointless preliminary tasks that must be completed to make progress on the real objective. The term was popularised by MIT computer scientists describing how solving a simple problem can lead through a chain of dependencies — eventually requiring you to ‘shave a yak’ before you can finish.
Yak shaving is a productivity hazard but sometimes necessary. Operators distinguish between essential yak shaving (fixing CI before shipping) and avoidable yak shaving (refactoring everything before the next feature). Discipline lies in recognising the difference quickly.