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Discussion on: How do you deal with half-finished projects?

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mikepijn profile image
Michael Pijnenburg

First step I take is to redefine 'finished' for the project. In other words:

  • when the original plan was to have a full featured product, redefine it to an MVP with just essential features.

  • When the idea was to build an MVP, maybe just make it a demo/showcase project. Not enough to test with real users, but enough to show others what the idea is.

  • When just planning for a demo and getting stuck, document next (potential) steps before you leave the project completely. If you cannot come up with next steps, document the reasons to abandon the project.

Do not leave loose ends. Redefining the project ambition gets you to 'finish' the project succesfully. Often times it then becomes easier to take this or another project to the next level. At least, finding closure opens you up for opportunity.

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madza profile image
Madza • Edited

Yeah, unless the particular project is very small, specific and possible with just certain tech, there will always be ways to optimize the performance, redefine the code, upgrade the tech stack used, etc.. Sometimes it's just better to leave it when all the functionality and UI is what the client or you wanted, otherwise it's an endless loop to pursue all the mentioned above and thus the project is never finished 😉