If you’ve been involved in any project with a specific delivery date, you’ve probably noticed how some critical opinions to acceptance or sign-off aren’t able to get motivated or engaged until it’s on their radar at the 11^th hour. Then, crisis mode hits and they’re suddenly interested in addressing all the things you’ve been asking for input for the last number of months.

For many 11^th hour types, stress is the only motivator under which they can operate. Things are simply not important until a deliverable suddenly becomes palatable and tangible to their sense of reality, and they are ready to focus. This sudden end-of-the-tunnel desire for co-operation often reveals important issues that were never brought to light earlier, effectively doubling the team stress factor 2 to 3 times. In fact, it only takes one 11^th hour type to derail momentum.

This is the guy that has known about his hi-way exit for 5 miles but cuts off four lanes of rush-hour traffic off to make it at the last minute. Never mind the results and inconvenience to others…

There’s also no mistaking the Friday afternoon 4:30 drama. I’ve found it to be a perennial pattern in multiple countries for over 25 years. Major bugs or decisions are often discovered at that magical hour because someone has decided they should “achieve” something before the end of the week… They leave at 5, naturally, and you’re left with a problem that could have been equally addressed the previous or following Monday. Instead, you have to work on it over the weekend only to find out that it won’t be on their radar until the following Friday at 4:30…

Some 11^th hour types are visualists. They must have a fully completed system of software in order to be engaged. They see themselves as inspectors/gate-keepers rather than active team participants. Many visualists are mostly concerned with screen cosmetics and features with no interest in back-end core business functionality – until their website is suddenly producing information that has no meaning.

In general, all 11^th hour types are always willing to participate in ownership when software has given birth and is in production.

I call it the 12:01 effect. One minute after going live, people are suddenly interested in a project.

When people know that a website is live, you will almost always get their undivided attention. It produces a heightened state of emotional ownership because it now suddenly affects their personal world. Provided there are no major business repercussions that will do more harm than good, using the 12:01 effect can get great results in certain situations.

If you are 90% of the way done but simply waiting on people to review cosmetic layouts or even simple verbiage that they were meant to proof months earlier, enacting the 12:01 effect will get those people to the table – and quickly. You can do this a week ahead of time, provoke lazy users into action, and still beat your original deadline saving you hours of nagging reminder emails.