Every day or every week, managers connect with their teams for status updates. One statement that often disappoints or annoys them the most is “It is almost done.”
In mathematics, everyone expects the result to be accurate. Otherwise, the consequences can be significant, especially when applied in the real world, right? You can’t say that an answer was almost right.
Similarly, in a work environment, when you report that something is “almost done” or “99.9% completed,” managers still see it as not completed. The reason is that the final part of the task may not be easily finished and could drag on.
In my experience during the early phase of my career when I was handling projects, my colleagues and teammates often gave me false hope that the project was almost done. I then passed on this hope to my customers. However, the last bit of the project took longer than expected.
This resulted in distrust and dissatisfaction, leading to penalties. My manager, who was also my boss, was tough on me, and it impacted my performance appraisals. I can’t blame him, right? As a project manager, it was my responsibility to have a good handle on projects and resources.
In the end, results speak for themselves.
Now, when someone reports to me saying “it is almost done,” I always reply, “So, it is still not done?” The tone and the change in my response urge my teammates to complete the task immediately.
Therefore, there’s nothing called “it is almost done.” It is either zero or one: done or incomplete.
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