Large projects often turn out differently from where they once started. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but sometimes it’s hugely problematic. When you start anything new, take note of all the original ideas on the table. When problems arise later, it helps to go back and review your initial thoughts.
Picture: Veerachai Viteeman/Shutterstock
Sometimes the best ideas don’t require much revision, but after aggressive criticism enters the playing field revisions happen nevertheless. Productivity and ideas blog the 99u explains how this happens and why it’s a problem:
A fundamental strength of teams is that each person brings their own unique knowledge and perspective to the table. This is the crux of the classic “wisdom of crowds” effect first documented early in the last century — that is, the judgment of a group of people will usually be superior to the judgment of any individual in that group. In a creative setting, this could apply to problems like estimating product sales or predicting project timelines. But crucially, this group wisdom effect only applies when each person’s input is kept independent and free of outside influence. A team of Swiss and Hungarian researchers showed this in 2011 — group wisdom was undermined when team members were given the chance to modify their initial answers based on feedback about what others had said.
Before calling your project finished, just remember to look back at your original ideas and ensure you’ve taken your project in the best direction. You can always take a step back if it means taking better steps forward later on.
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