Graf Zeppelin and the danger of an undefined end state

Which naval project most deserves the reaction, 'What were they thinking?' despite having time and resources?

Graf Zeppelin is his leading example because the Germans tried to embody many untested carrier ideas at once instead of defining and delivering a working aircraft carrier.

A project is in danger when its desired end state cannot be stated in one clear sentence. Graf Zeppelin accumulated experimental carrier concepts as though the ship were a universal test bed, while the practical requirement should have been narrower: produce an aircraft carrier that could reliably operate.