Why You Should Finish the Project (And When It’s Okay Not To)
This is a "better late than never" episode - the office re-do is nearing completion, all limbs are still intact, and after learning how to repair original plaster, I know why it took me so long to do this. But, HEY! It's given us something really important to talk about. Finishing the projects you start.
If we're honest we can all admit that the starting feels good. New ideas spark hope. New tools promise ease. New projects feel like a fresh path to success. If you're from the Lansing area, then you'll understand...Starting is like walking out of The Peanut Shop with five smaller bags inside of your big bag. One of sour cherry balls, one lemon drops, one chocolate covered peanuts and who cares what the other two are because you're in for a sugar buzz that's going to carry you into the next quarter!
But there’s a quiet danger in the dopamine rush of "next."
It’s the half-built strategy. The tool no one adopted. The project that got to 80% and got dropped — again.
And it’s more common than you think. So, what's the big deal?
🚧 There's a Cost of Starting Without Finishing
And every single unfinished project costs more than just time.
Here’s what you're actually paying for:
Lost trust from your team When initiatives start and stop on a whim, your people disengage. They start waiting for “this to blow over.”
Technical Whiplash That shiny new software? It’s now one of five platforms doing the same job — and no one knows which one to use. Or it's one of five platforms sitting in the dark on the virtual shelf and your teams are still waiting for an actual solution. Either way, you've slammed on the breaks so many times, people don't even want to tap the gas pedal.
Smeared momentum Every time you pivot midstream, you lose compound gains. Consistency (not novelty) creates results.
Fractured decision-making The more initiatives hang in limbo, the harder it is to prioritize, the harder it is to schedule team members and complete financial planning and and — and that bleeds into every other part of your operation.
Also....it's going to be a really good time explaining your complete lack of ROI to your CFO and your board and whatever end users this project was intended for because those end users were banking on you making things better. If this lack of better things is hitting your end-client...whelp, hope your Client Satisfaction was in good standing before you missed your goals. Yes, I know this sounds harsh - this is serious stuff!
💡Truthfully - should we finish EVERYTHING?
Not every project deserves to be finished.
Sometimes, abandoning a project is the smartest move you can make — but only if it’s a strategic decision, not a default one.
So how do you know the difference?
✅ Finish It IF:
It was designed with a clear outcome (and that outcome still matters)
Your team has already invested time, money, or effort
The gaps are in execution — not vision
The only thing stopping you is fatigue, distraction, or perfectionism (or something shiny the vendor flashed while handing out pizza slices)
please, for the love of all things good, finish it if it replaces a system that is already end-of-support
👆 In these cases, it’s almost always worth completing. You’ll recover sunk momentum, rebuild trust, and gain clarity on what works — and why.
❌ Pause or Stop It If:
The business need has changed
The tool no longer aligns with your team’s workflows
Your original problem was misdiagnosed
You’ve already found a better (simpler, cheaper, better UI!) path to the outcome
The company you were doing business with has gone out of business, has become known for introducing spyware with every install, or otherwise introduces major red flags.
Killing a project shouldn’t feel like failure — it should feel like leadership. But skipping from one half-started thing to another? That’s not agility. That’s drift.
🔁 What to Do Next
Here’s what I recommend to clients who feel caught in the swirl of unfinished initiatives:
1. Make a project graveyard list Write down every open, paused, or “someday” project. Yes — all of them.
2. Decide: Finish, Kill, or Archive If you have lost momentum, have lost your plan, are so far off that plan and have no hopes of finishing it in the next 60 days, it’s either archived or killed. Period. (If you have a firm plan and you're completely on track with that plan and it's set realistically more than 60 days out, this is IN-PROGRESS and does not fall into the graveyard category.)
3. Pick ONE project to finish next Recommit. Give it a timebox. Finish it well. Showcase the success with your team. Feel what real momentum looks like again. Choose something with a strong return. You need to FEEEEEL THIS.
👋 Need Help Finishing What You Started?
Let's get your overwhelmed teams refocused, reset, and finally on the way to finish the things that matter.
✔️ Done-for-you project triage ✔️ Timeline & team resets
✔️ Tool optimization — without shiny object syndrome ✔️ Calm, confident leadership support
📍 Book a quick consult and let’s get your best work over the finish line or Email us with "FINISH IT" and we'll follow up directly.
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