Decisions not deadlines

Nothing is as certain as death and taxes, but on a project you can also guarantee the existence of deadlines. For the purposes of this post, a deadline is defined as a time-based milestone for the completion of a deliverable that absolutely cannot be changed.

Deadlines do not exist as a part of any formal project methodology that I’m aware of, but they are usually imposed anyway. Deadlines are a symptom of a number of common management misconceptions:

• Projects are predictable processes;
• Success can be mandated;
• Team members are motivated by fear;
• Setting hard limits is string leadership.

Projects are not predictable processes

A task like digging coal is predictable. Given a measured average rate for digging coal, it is feasible to predict with high accuracy when a fixed amount of coal will have been dug.

A project, on the other hand, requires the creation of new knowledge and solving unknown problems which are not predictable processes. It makes no sense to assume that a deadline set at the beginning of the project - when the least knowledge is available - will still be appropriate towards the end.

Success cannot be mandated

Advocates of the “command and control” method of management assume that success can be assured by setting a deadline and then making the team work as single-mindedly as possible to meet the date.

This might work well for shovelling coal, since people can increase their average rate of working for short periods, but the creation of new knowledge does not occur faster on demand. In fact it is much more likely that quality will suffer since it is difficult to think creatively under duress.

Team members are not motivated by fear

Nothing de-motivates a project team faster than arbitrary and unrealistic deadlines that cannot be changed by evidence and rational argument.

Deadlines simply create a focus on ways of creating the appearance of meeting the deadline, which takes effort away from actually delivering the project.

Setting hard limits is not good leadership

The key to leadership is setting a good example. Great leaders are open and transparent, and make decisions based on evidence - because they want their teams to work that way too.

There is a better alternative

Setting a deadline is usually intended as a clear statement of intent, and may seem like a good way to motivate a team at the outset. However, once a deadline is set, it is psychologically very difficult to withdraw or change it based on actual progress.

The best way to avoid this problem is to eschew deadlines altogether, and instead set milestones that reflect the key decisions that will need to be made.

Set decision-making milestones…

An example of a common decision-making milestone is the completion of an end-stage report for the governance board.

By phrasing this milestone in terms of a decision "we will decide whether it is the right time to proceed to the next stage", rather than a deadline "we will move to the next stage on X date" the board has the flexibility to adapt to the actual circumstances, rather than feeling tied into a predetermined timeframe.

… and then make decisions

Once you think about it this way, deadlines can always be re-phrased in terms of decision-points instead.  

Rather than a “go-live” date - set months in advance with no knowledge of how much actual progress will be made - have a “go-live decision” milestone when an informed decision will be made on the appropriate date for go-live.

All that remains is to take advantage of these opportunities to make the best possible decisions.