When is a project finished?

RE: When is a project finished?

dougw — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 21:03:21 GMT

4 thresholds = done :

nothing significant left to learn
potential satisfaction from further progress is insignificant
the result of progress has no use
nobody else is interested

4 thresholds = pause :

cost of progress is higher than can be justified or higher than other desirable projects
too busy with other higher value projects
it interferes with my team sports schedule
"somebody" needs me for something else

8 thresholds = keep going :

it is fun
it is interesting
it is educational
it is useful
it creates respect
it is a commitment
"somebody" would be pleased
bull-headed stubbornness

RE: When is a project finished?

Jan Cumps — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:18:45 GMT

(not talking for my professional life. Paycheck blurs the border):

my projects are finished;

When I can't be bothered searching for them when I have an improvement idea.
When I don't come up with improvements.
When turning on the soldering iron feels like homework
When broken and not in a mood to fix
When not used by myself as a product
When someone asks a question and I say that the forum is the best place to ask such questions ...

RE: When is a project finished?

jw0752 — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 15:17:01 GMT

Hi Mark,

I consider something finished when I have reached a stable marketable product. As the person creating the project the short comings and possibilities for improvement are always in focus but if one doesn't stop innovating and bring the product to market you will find yourself in an endless fruitless loop. I knew a genius inventor once who had a nice product but I could never buy the same product from him twice in a row. He was always innovating and as soon as I got used to his current product he would be on to a new incarnation of the product with different side effects. In frustration I finally stopped doing business with him and went with a different vendor. Once your product or project is finished there is no reason why you can't start development of an improved model while your current product is at work for you but at least for me I would consider this a whole new project.

John

RE: When is a project finished?

ralphjy — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 14:41:45 GMT

I consider my projects finished when I am satisfied with the outcome. Different projects have different objectives. Most of my projects are done to learn a new technology, component, device, etc. And to have the fun and satisfaction of building something. Sounds like you completed those objectives [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-c5ecfdaa-674c-4f16-bba6-06c64ed9cff4/contentimage_5F00_1.png:16:16]

RE: When is a project finished?

dubbie — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 10:00:07 GMT

When is a project finished? A very philosophical question. It's a bit like asking 'How long is a piece of string?' Of all the projects I have been involved with I do not think any of them could be classed as actually finished. The nearest would be the telephone tester I designed and built when first employed as a Design Engineer with GEC Telecomms Ltd in the north of England. It was in a box and everything ready to go onto the production floor and then I left the company. But, one of the tests was an environmental temperature test but as I had no idea how to implement that so I just kind of skipped over it (Schhh, don't tell anyone!).Test 20 I think it was, which every telephone would always pass. To this day I still regret not getting help to implement that test. Good job mobile phones were invented and the company went bust - but I don't think that was all my fault.

Dubbie