Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Percent, Per Se
David Schmaltz is a project manager in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Project work is implicit. We build relationships, contribute intangibles and collaborate on several simultaneous tasks with people who have diverse work styles. These activities aren’t countable, yet we try to measure them as if we were laying bricks and monitoring machines. What percent complete is your project? To answer honestly requires deeper considerations and interpretations than any spreadsheet can perform.
What’s the square root of third place? I ask this question not because it makes any sense, but because it’s likely to make more sense than it really should. Anyone sufficiently entranced with the power of their spreadsheet can effortlessly calculate the square root of third place without recognizing that they’re answering a wacky question. One of the common questions tangling projects involves just this confusion. The question seems innocent enough: “What percent complete is the project?” Well, our spreadsheets can provide an answer, but they cannot provide a meaningful response. The question, though simple to answer, is meaningless.
The graphic below illustrates a typical work effort assigned to a team of five individuals. Each works effectively, though each has a different preferred work style. One, represented by the blue line, pursues goals with laser-light linearity, following the shortest line between start and finish. …
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