Projects that matter rarely finish in a quarter. Think about system migrations, new platforms, product launches—these all take time, coordination, and budget cycles. For department leaders, the challenge isn’t only delivering the big milestone. It’s keeping people engaged while they wait for it.

Momentum is fragile. Teams disengage when progress is invisible, and stakeholders start to question the investment. Once belief fades, even a successful delivery feels like an uphill battle.

Why Momentum Matters

Organisational behaviour research shows that visible progress is one of the strongest motivators for employees. Teresa Amabile’s Progress Principle study of 12,000 diary entries from knowledge workers found that the single most powerful driver of engagement was seeing progress in meaningful work.

When leaders fail to provide that visibility, projects may still move forward, but the people involved feel stuck. That creates drag: lower morale, less urgency, and more resistance.

What Happens When Wins Aren’t Visible

• Teams lose energy. Long timelines with no markers lead to disengagement.

• Stakeholders question ROI. Without evidence, investments look like sunk costs.

• Priorities shift. Other initiatives with clearer proof points steal attention and resources.

This is why department leaders can’t wait until the end to prove value.

Lessons from Real Companies

When Spotify started scaling, they hit the same wall every fast-growing company does: how do you stay innovative without slowing down under layers of process? Their answer was the now-famous Spotify model.

Instead of one big, monolithic product team, Spotify split into small, autonomous squads. Each squad owned a specific piece of the experience (search, playlists, recommendations) and had the freedom to decide which agile framework to use and how to complete their goals.

That freedom came with accountability: squads delivered visible progress quickly. A new feature here, a small refinement there—the constant stream of tangible updates built belief across the company. Teams stayed energised, leaders had proof of momentum, and customers saw Spotify improving in real time.

The lesson? You don’t need one big win to keep people motivated. A rhythm of small, visible wins can create just as much energy and sustain it through the long haul.

How Leaders Can Deliver Visible Wins

1. Break initiatives into 30-60 day deliverables.

Even if the end state is a year away, design interim outputs that can be shared, like a working prototype, a cost-saving tweak, or a new dashboard.

2. Communicate progress in business terms.

Don’t just say “the migration is 40% complete.” Say “we’ve already reduced manual processing by 15 hours a week.” Stakeholders rally behind outcomes, not activities.

3. Celebrate and share small victories.

Make visible wins part of the story. Recognising them reinforces belief internally and builds confidence externally.

Earn Patience with Proof

Think of visible wins as deposits in a trust account. Every small delivery buys you more patience, more buy-in, and more confidence to carry through the longer journey. Without those deposits, you’re running on credit and eventually, someone calls it in.

Visible wins keep projects alive, but they also keep the belief high. And in long transformations, belief is what carries you over the line.