n o ren
Human Performance & Leadership

Stop Chasing False Momentum

A 12-person team spent 6 months on a project that was doomed from the start.

2026-06-272 min read

When evaluating project progress, leaders often focus on the number of tasks completed, assuming that more tasks done means more progress made. However, this approach can be misleading, as it doesn't account for the complexity and impact of each task. A task that takes a day to complete might have a much larger impact than ten tasks that take a week. This is where the concept of "effort density" comes in, which refers to the amount of value created per unit of effort. Focusing on effort density rather than just the number of tasks completed can help leaders identify which tasks are truly driving progress and which ones are just creating false momentum.

The mechanism behind false momentum is rooted in the way we measure progress. When we focus on the number of tasks completed, we create an incentive for teams to prioritize easy, low-impact tasks over more challenging, high-impact ones. This can lead to a situation where teams are busy completing tasks, but not actually making progress towards their goals. For example, a hypothetical 8-person marketing team might spend 3 months creating 50 social media posts, but if those posts only reach a few hundred people, they may not be creating much value. In contrast, a single, high-impact post that reaches tens of thousands of people could create much more value, even if it takes longer to create.

The twist is that false momentum can be incredibly convincing, especially when teams are working on complex projects with many moving parts. Leaders may feel like they're making progress because they see a lot of activity, but if they're not focusing on effort density, they may be misled. This can lead to wasted time, resources, and energy, as well as a lack of progress towards goals. To avoid this, leaders need to take a step back and re-evaluate how they're measuring progress, focusing on the value created rather than just the number of tasks completed.

Key insights
Focus on effort density rather than just the number of tasks completed to get a more accurate picture of progress.
Prioritize high-impact tasks over easy, low-impact ones to create more value.
Regularly re-evaluate how you're measuring progress to avoid false momentum.
Why it matters

If leaders ignore the concept of false momentum, they risk wasting time and resources on projects that aren't actually creating value.

Additionally, false momentum can lead to demotivated teams, as they may feel like they're working hard but not making progress.

Use this tomorrow
1
Open your project management tool and count the number of tasks completed in the last quarter, then estimate the value created by each task to get a sense of your team's effort density.
2
Identify the top 3 tasks that created the most value in the last quarter and use them as a benchmark to evaluate future tasks.
Go deeper

The concept of effort density is rooted in the idea that not all tasks are created equal, and that some tasks may have a much larger impact than others. By focusing on effort density, leaders can create an incentive for teams to prioritize high-impact tasks and create more value.

One of the challenges of focusing on effort density is that it can be difficult to estimate the value created by each task, especially in complex projects. To overcome this, leaders can use techniques such as customer feedback, data analysis, and retrospectives to get a better understanding of which tasks are truly driving progress.