A friend asked me this question about a project she is finishing. She has gotten several responses from other friends. One woman, who worked on her book for 12 years, told my friend that a project is done when it’s perfect. But is a project ever really perfect?
My gut response to the question is that a project is done at deadline. You simply run out of time to fine tune, edit, and tweak. Writing and designing are creative processes. We take some else’s requirements and ideas, incorporate our own ideas, and return something that works for the client.
Even though the result works, there is always room for improvement. I can say something in a clearer way, more dramatic way, or more descriptive way—whatever the project calls for. I can rearrange. I can change functionality. I can change the point of view.
And, of course, I can edit. Are there any typos? Is it grammatically correct? Does my style abruptly change? Did I use Oxford commas all the way through, or did I miss one?
My friend didn’t have a hard deadline. This project was for her personal pleasure. For the past month, she’s had the opportunity to play with it. There are minor changes she wants to make, but on the whole, she’s happy with it.
I asked her, “Are you done with it? Are you tired of reading and rereading? Do you find yourself skipping over sections because you just don’t want to look at it again?”
Her answer was “yes.”
“Then you’re done. Make your final changes, and read it through slowly one last time.” This is not the time to worry about the direction you’ve chosen, or whether you should insert a comma. When you lose the desire for a project, you’re done.
Unfortunately, professionals are not allowed that same flexibility. Two things determine when a project is done: a hard deadline, and a satisfied client. If we have put our best effort into the project and we meet those two goals, we are done. We know our project is not perfect, but we met the requirements. We did our best. We are done.
