That Project. Still on the List. Still Not Done. This Is Probably Why.
Most people assume their projects always get stuck due to time constraints. Or money. Or the right tool. And sometimes that's true.
I've been a fractional project manager for startups and small businesses for years, and the pattern is remarkably consistent: the projects that won't move are almost never missing a better Gantt chart. They lack honesty, clarity, and a system for overcoming resistance.
Here are the top three overlooked reasons projects stall, and what to do about each one.
You're following someone else's script
This is the one nobody wants to say out loud. You started this project because an investor suggested it, or a competitor launched something similar, or someone on your team said, "we should really do this." And you nodded. And now it's been sitting on the to-do list for three months, and you can't figure out why everyone keeps avoiding it.
Here's why: it's not actually your priority. It might be a fine idea. It might even be a good idea. But if the motivation isn't coming from a real business need that you feel in your gut, it's going to keep losing to everything else that's on fire.
What to do: Talk it out. Sit down as a team and discuss whether this project actually makes sense for your business to take on right now. If that's not possible, use a voice app, call a friend, or talk to a coach. Half the time, the problem becomes obvious the second you hear yourself explain it. If you can't articulate why this matters right now, it might be time to archive it and focus on more relevant projects.
You haven't defined what "done" actually looks like
"Launch the new website." "Build the partner program." "Fix our onboarding." These are not defined projects — they are aspirations.
A lot of teams fall into the trap of assuming that because they have a sense of what done looks like, they've defined it, but there is an important difference. And even if you do have a sense of what done looks like, the distance between here and there can feel so vast that you freeze. Every time you sit down to work on it, you get overwhelmed and go do something easier instead.
What to do: Start by writing the most boring, specific version of "done" you can. Not the aspirational version. Not the pitch deck version. The real one. "A five-page website with homepage, about, services, portfolio, and contact, live on Squarespace, with a booking link that works." That's a project. "Revamp our digital presence" is a wish.
You're waiting for perfection before you celebrate progress
Because you and your team are smart, successful people, you've accomplished tons of projects, but projects that are stuck need different approaches.
Some people are great at rewarding themselves for small wins. Those people tend to finish projects. The rest of us wait until the whole thing is done to feel good about it, which means we're running on fumes and willpower for weeks or months at a time. Because you and your team are smart and successful people, you might say you don't need these tricks or rewards to push things forward. But you need to ask yourself why this project is sitting unfinished. It might be time to try a new strategy to get it across the finish line. Expecting everyone to just grind away and toil is not sustainable, and it's a big reason projects aren't getting finished and why teams burn out.
What to do: Set rewards at milestones, not just at the finish line. Finished the research phase? Take yourself to lunch. Shipped the first draft? Buy that thing you've been eyeing. It sounds silly, but the people who do this go further. Not everything has to be perfect, and you don't have to earn joy by suffering through the whole project first.