The longer you take, the longer it will take

The longer you take, the longer it will take

It may sound like a tautology, but the longer you take to complete a project, the longer it's going to take to complete it. Put another way, every day you add to the final launch of the project increases the odds that you'll add even more days to the project.

For example, suppose you're launching a new AMS and you set the go-live for six months from today. As you approach go-live, you decide there are a few more things you'd like to have before go-live, and so you push the go-live out another month.

One unintended consequence of pushing the date later is that the team working on the project starts to lose focus. And the longer the project goes, the more they lose focus, and the longer the project takes. It becomes a self-feeding cycle.

The key is to focus on a minimum viable product (MVP) and to get live as quickly as possible. What's the bare minimum that we need to go live? That's our target!

Because the longer you take to complete the project, the longer it will take to complete it.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

How to avoid the “IT black hole”

July 20, 2022

How to avoid the “IT black hole” Going all the way back to my days […]

The “People” are important!

July 13, 2022

The “People” are important! I’ve written a lot about people, process, and technology over the […]

Always look for the MVP

July 6, 2022

Always look for the MVP I first wrote about minimum viable product (MVP) just three […]

Data is for action

June 22, 2022

Data is for action When deciding whether or not to collect a piece of data, […]

Have you shopped yourself?

June 15, 2022

Have you shopped yourself? I’ve always been fascinated by the “secret shopper” concept. (Maybe it’s […]

To improve adoption, decrease the friction

June 1, 2022

To improve adoption, decrease the friction “Before you try to increase your willpower, try to […]

“Is this normal?”

May 25, 2022

“Is this normal?” ne of the greatest parts about my job is that I get […]

Give your staff more freedom, not less

May 18, 2022

Give your staff more freedom, not less I often tell my clients, when it comes […]

My advice? Stop doing that

May 11, 2022

My advice? Stop doing that! There is a classic TV sketch featuring Bob Newhart as […]

Is a college degree really required?

May 4, 2022

Is a college degree really required? I saw a job listing last week for an […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top