Beware of the last 10%

When was the last time you did something crazy?

For me, it was a while ago.

Too long.

It was time for a challenge. A new project… So I signed up for an 1100km ultra gravel cycling event this summer, with 20,000m of climbing.

To me, that’s bat-sh*t crazy.

For perspective: that’s a third of this year’s Tour the France, with a few small differences…

It’s off-road, self-supported, and non-stop.

Last year a French lunatic won it by riding 52 hours straight.

Will it be fun fun? At times, I think. I’m sure I will regret this idea at some point too. But that mental game is part of the challenge.

Speaking of challenge, it’s on the Norwegian coast, so even in July the weather is a big variable.

There are loads of other unknowns along the way. Will I get mechanical issues? How will I deal with sleep deprivation? Will my *cough..* rear end cope with sitting in the saddle that long?

All unknowns. But getting started is the only way of finding out.

A huge project. It’s all about preparation, trusting the process, and pedaling until the dotted line on my GPS stops.

Because there are no medals for riding 95% of the way. Whether you bail after 20km or after 1085km - the result list shows “Did Not Finish”.

Much like your next work project.

No one will reward you for getting it 90% done - it needs to be finished. And that last 10%? That’s usually where all the issues are hiding.

You’ve seen it before, right?

It’s the scenario where someone on your team says a task is “almost done”. This means nearly all boxes are ticked, and one or two small details are not in place yet.

But we’re all human. We keep the most uncertain and hardest issues until the last. So while on paper 90% of the task is finished, all the complexity is hiding in that last 10%.

So close, yet so far away…

This is why I’ve argued before that completion percentages of a task are a joke.

Instead of obsessing over the difference between 81% actual vs 83% planned, you’d be better off splitting up tasks into smaller pieces.

Because the only goal for knowing the completion % is to get information about the future. You’re trying to find out if your project will be done in time or not.

So that’s why, when breaking up tasks, I always use the following rule of thumb:

Keep a task as big as possible, while being able to assign ONE owner, and while the information of done or not done is enough for you to manage the project.

Let’s break that down:

• As big as possible: we both know that the simpler we can make something, the better. If a list of 10 tasks can do, don’t create 70.

• One owner: this means there can be no handover within the task. If an internal team needs a subcontractor to complete something, split it into two tasks. Otherwise, you’ll be looking at “almost done” for as long as it takes to get the contractor started.

• Done or not done: skip the percentages. Break things down so far that done or not done tells you enough. The right level of granularity depends on trust and uncertainty with the task.

That last point is crucial. Let me explain…

If you’d make “write a newsletter for 1 year” a task, it’s not done until December 31st. Useless.

But because you know I have written almost 100 of these without missing a week, you trust that I’ll deliver.

So the right level of granularity might be “Write newsletter week 18”.

If you’d ask a new hire to write a newsletter, that would not be enough. You’d probably break it up into idea, research, first draft, edit, final revision, and sent - just as an example.

See where I’m going?

More experience and trust means you’ll need less granularity, because “done or not done” tells you everything you need to know about the project’s future ability to stick to the plan.

Now, I know that was a lot.

If you’d like to dig deeper into making realistic plans for your future projects so you never miss a deadline again, I’ve got something for you.

In June, you’ll be able to join my course Project Management Unraveled again.

Last time we let people in, over 110 project managers like you picked up a copy and learned how I run real-world projects from A to Z.

Click here to join the waitlist and learn more + secure some extra bonuses.

I’m off to break 1100km of cycling into manageable stages and plan where to eat, sleep, and hide from the weather along the route - suggestions welcome!

Talk soon,
Jasper