I would tend to agree. More open ended questions "have you hit any stumbling blocks you are not sure how to navigate?" Versus, "have you completed x, y and z ? You are starting to fall behind, better get them done." I do like the suggestion not limiting the projects to "build something". One of my sons friends was hit by a car on his bike two days after getting it for Christmas. He will not make a full recovery (severe nerve damage), so I really like the idea of a bike rodeo.