Marc Andressen talks about how the job of a start-up founder is to remove layers of risk; similar to the layers on an onion. As each layer is removed, the existential risk to the business is reduced.
I also think this idea is applicable to any team working on a new project. In the beginning, there are high amounts of ambiguity, where setbacks are the norm and failure is common.
It’s tempting to add new features, processes, or systems, but instead of adding, sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is identify risks, and focus obsessively on removing them.