One way is to always keep your thing ready for any change.
Another way is to always wait to improve a thing for change when the change is required.
And the truth is sadly, as is always the case in life, a combination of the two. The experienced engineer can predict which parts need the constant buffing because they'll be on the critical product path and which ones you can let be without them rotting. In fact, that predictive skill is likely one of the top markers of productivity.
If you don't have it, you can probably simulate it by working twice as hard and keeping twice as many things ready, and if you manage to work n times as hard to keep all the things ready, your system will appear to be superhuman. But realistically, you will appear to not have done much critical work because of all the stuff you do, maybe a tiny fraction will be important.
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One way is to always keep your thing ready for any change.
Another way is to always wait to improve a thing for change when the change is required.
And the truth is sadly, as is always the case in life, a combination of the two. The experienced engineer can predict which parts need the constant buffing because they'll be on the critical product path and which ones you can let be without them rotting. In fact, that predictive skill is likely one of the top markers of productivity.
If you don't have it, you can probably simulate it by working twice as hard and keeping twice as many things ready, and if you manage to work n times as hard to keep all the things ready, your system will appear to be superhuman. But realistically, you will appear to not have done much critical work because of all the stuff you do, maybe a tiny fraction will be important.