Why Unfinished Projects Persist So Tenaciously
Many companies launch more initiatives than they complete. A look at a pattern that is rarely spoken of openly but can be found in almost every organization.
Leonardo da Vinci left behind a striking legacy: dozens of unfinished works. *The Adoration of the Magi* remained a sketch. *The Battle of Anghiari* was lost beneath its own paint. He was even still working on the *Mona Lisa* while he had long since turned his attention to anatomy, hydraulic engineering, and flying machines. The next problem drew him in more strongly than the completion of the previous one.
Every company is familiar with this pattern, even without a genius on staff. A study by the DFK association involving 400 specialists and executives reaches a clear conclusion: The greatest lever for future viability lies within the organization itself.
The Appeal of a Fresh Start
In consulting practice, a recurring pattern emerges: a process comes to a standstill. The obvious reaction is to introduce a new structure, new responsibilities, or a new process. This feels like progress. What often gets lost in the process, however, is the previous initiative—the one that had actually already been approved. It ends up in a drawer, forgotten.
Ask your management team how many project plans are actually still on file there—officially active, but practically dormant. The answer is rarely zero.
Two Feelings, One Difference
Starting a new project feels like a fresh start. Finishing an old one feels like administrative work. That’s why, in practice, the new project usually wins out, while the unfinished one rarely does. The result: several half-finished initiatives running in parallel, tied-up resources, and few completed outcomes.
The difference between companies that make progress and those that get bogged down lies in how consistently they see one idea through to completion before moving on to the next.
Three questions for the coming week:
- Which initiative in your company has been «almost done» for months?
- What exactly is stopping you from finishing it before the next project begins?
- When was the last time you celebrated a new idea while an older one was quietly gathering dust?
Starting something new is just as much a part of sustainability as actually seeing through what has already been started.
To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch
