The 80% Rule

The first 80 % of a project often takes up to 50% of your time. You are on a roll and you keep putting off the niggly bits 'til later, as all good management guides recommend.


The last 20% can take more than 50% of your time. Its the niggly stuff and often it shows that maybe we should have done things a bit differently from the start.

Quality counts for a lot in business, but some projects can operate perfectly well at 80% capacity.

So before the perfectionist in you takes complete control, it is worth asking whether the whistles and bells are worth the extra time and money involved?

I have noticed that many internet start-ups launch in Beta. This is a great example of the 80% rule in action. The bones of the project are rolled out relatively quickly.

The beauty is that everybody knows that its not the final product. It opens up a dialogue with your clients.

The start up team gets lots of user feedback and can spend the remaining time and budget making sure the final product fits the customers needs in the real world.

Marvellous!! Now can we apply this model to other products, services, and industries?

Gridlock

If we don't spend time saving time....this is what happens.

We take on more and more tasks... until we don't have any time left!

We don't even have enough time to ask these fundamental questions

• Which tasks are the most important?
• Which tasks can be done by somebody else?
• Which tasks can be done differently?
• Which tasks can be scrapped?

We lose the luxury of having time to innovate.

It "is a bit like fourteen fat men trying to get into an elevator - nothing can move"
Graham Cluley, senior consultant Sophos Inc.

The commitment to working smarter instead of harder can be very rewarding.

Invest some precious time, every day, to reflect and adapt.

There will always be something we can do to save time and effort.

The trick is having the time to find it!