Assumption: Deadlines Help Delivery

Today’s assumption: putting a date on something increases the likelihood that it will be done by then.

With very few exceptions, deadlines are arbitrary. People know this. The date is chosen before the work is fully understood, and is usually far in the future. Long timelines have inherent variability, particularly with unpredictable work. The impact of all this is that we can say, with a high degree of certainty, that a due date is the one date on which our work will not be delivered.

Instead of pointless due dates, let’s talk about priorities and sequencing. Let’s talk about what’s first, and what’s next. Let’s give ourselves the ability to change our minds, and our plans, as we learn more. Let’s look at the things which delay us, the bottlenecks, and how to get more out of them, or remove them altogether.