Project Management: Why the Last 20% Often Takes 80% of the Effort

Why does the final phase of a project become so intense? 

The finish line is in sight, but it’s still too early to sit back and relax. As we approach completion, more and more tasks are coming together. Results must align, pending tasks must be completed, and the various parties are increasingly relying on one another to move forward. 

What were previously separate areas of concern are now increasingly intertwined. Dependencies are becoming more critical, changes affect more components, the margin for responding to risks is shrinking, and the project documentation must also be ready for handover. Of course, the saying that the last 20% literally takes up 80% of the energy doesn’t apply to every project. But the scenario is familiar: it’s precisely in this phase that a relatively small amount of remaining work can still demand a considerable amount of attention. 

More dependencies amplify minor delays 

Precisely because work activities and disciplines are becoming increasingly interdependent as the project nears completion, even a minor delay can suddenly have major consequences. A few days’ delay in one activity can mean that another discipline cannot proceed, that information becomes available too late, or that the next milestone is put at risk. Moreover, the leeway to make up for such delays later on is becoming increasingly limited. 

A reliable schedule, therefore, not only shows when activities need to be carried out, but above all how they are interconnected. Which activities determine the completion date? Where is there still some leeway? And which outstanding tasks could delay other work? Simply reporting that a project is 82, 85, or 90% complete doesn’t tell the whole story. It is precisely in that final phase that you want to know what still needs to be done—and which of those tasks will determine when the project is completed. 

Changes are having an increasingly significant impact 

It’s not just delays that can have a greater impact as the project nears completion. Changes, too, often affect more aspects of the project than they would earlier in the process. By this stage, the schedule, costs, work performed by other disciplines, risks, and project documentation have been further developed and are more closely intertwined. As a result, a change that could previously have been incorporated relatively easily may have repercussions in multiple areas just before project delivery. 

For example, a technical change may already have been approved, even though its implications have not yet been incorporated into the schedule or cost estimate. Or the schedule may have been updated, but drawings and other project documentation are still behind schedule. It is precisely in such cases that it is important for a change not to get stuck within a single discipline, but for its implications to be tracked throughout the entire project. 

Risks become more concrete as the deadline approaches 

The closer the deadline gets, the less time there is to respond to risks. The risk that a supplier will not deliver on time, that an important decision will be made later than planned, or that necessary information will not be available in time can then have direct consequences for a key milestone. Whereas there used to be room to explore alternatives or reschedule work, the options become increasingly limited right before delivery. 

That’s exactly when you want to know which risks could affect upcoming activities and milestones. When is the latest a delivery must be received? When must a decision be made to avoid delaying follow-up work? What measures can still be taken, and who is responsible for them? By specifically linking risks to activities and milestones in the schedule, it becomes clear where and when action may be needed. 

And on top of that, the project documentation still needs to be finished 

Being technically ready does not necessarily mean that a project is ready for handover. As we approach completion, the project documentation must also be complete and in order. Are the correct documents available and approved? Have changes been incorporated into the latest revisions? And is it clear which information is final and needs to be handed over? 

It is precisely at this stage that it becomes clear what has happened to the documentation throughout the project. Pending reviews, missing documents, outdated revisions, or incomplete metadata can suddenly create a lot of extra work right before the handover. Effective document control and information management prevent the documentation from becoming a last-minute scramble at the end. By keeping information up-to-date, findable, and manageable throughout the entire project, the documentation essentially evolves alongside the project toward the final handover. 

Staying in control all the way to the finish line 

Precisely because so many elements come together in the final phase, it helps to ensure that cohesion is maintained throughout the entire project. That’s also how we at Ditio view project management. We integrate Project Controls Management (PCM) and Document & Information Management (DIM) so that planning, costs, and risks aren’t disconnected from the information you use to steer the project. After all, having a firm grasp on the numbers is of little value if the underlying project information isn’t reliable.

Ditio supports project organizations with professionals and expertise in Planning & Scheduling, Cost Control, Estimating, Risk Management, Document Control, and Information Management. In this way, we support projects not only during the intensive final phase, but also earlier in the project to lay a solid foundation for project management.

Need help keeping your project on track? Contact Ditio.