The Last 10%

Continuing this week's theme:

My father was successful entrepreneur who ran his own small businesses, an engineering firm, for many years (he retired two years ago). I've learned a lot about business from my father. One of the things my father always told me was that the hardest part of any job is the last 10%. He meant, of course, finishing. It may not be 10% for you or for every project, but certainly there comes a point in most projects where lethargy hits and every step towards the goal is harder than the one before.

Although I agree with my dad, I'm not sure the last 10% always means finishing the features or the design or whatever. I think sometimes the last 10% is just putting your stuff out there. Launching. Even if your app isn't quite done, just launch.

Save extra reserves for the last 10% knowing, it will be harder. Think about it during the project. Visualizing removing the splash page and tweeting about it. Look forward to the excitement and nervousness of you friends looking at your work and having an opinon. Look forward the users who will not like it as an opportunity to make it better.

And then launch it. Just launch it.

1 Comment

JP Toto said on November 05, 2008

You’re not the first to say this. And you won’t be the last. It can’t, however, be said enough.