The Last 20%

Why the last 20% matters more than the first 80%.

I've seen this phenomena play out many times - the start of a project or workstream is met with excitement, passion, and discretionary effort dedicated to the work at hand. Ideas begin to fly, brainstorming and collaboration ramp up, and output begins to take shape. The work rides this wave through the early and middle phases - but then something happens at about the 80% mark.

The ideation slows as the work begins to take a more final shape.

The tone shifts from brainstorming to making decisions.

The "rough drafts" give way to format and polish.

And it's at this point - the last 20% - that work can slow and sometimes stall entirely. That's because the last 20% can be scary.

You leave the safety of brainstorming (where no idea is bad) and enter the stage that requires a formal point of view - something you need to attribute your name to.

You exit "draft mode" (where slides are ugly and riddled with comments or notes) and begin to think about sharing the idea - concerned with polish, presentation, and flow.

You abandon dreaming about the destiny of your project (where anything is possible) and need to muster the courage to put your project into the world and allow it to meet its actual reception - good, bad, or indifferent.

While the last 20% can be challenging - it's worth remembering that projects completed to 80% aren't actually completed.

So I'd encourage you to look at your backlog of projects that you've managed to get to the 80% mark, redouble your efforts, and tackle the last 20%. It's only when our work begins to dance with the real world that we have a chance to make an impact - nothing saved in drafts has ever made a mark.

"But what have you shipped?" -Seth Godin

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric