Being too optimistic about deadlines can quickly lead to late deadlines
As a software project manager, I am very aware of how important it is to complete on time. For each project, I have a specific plan, but sometimes I still cannot avoid being subjective and underestimating the time needed to complete the task.
As in the recent project, because I have similar knowledge and work experience, I think this project is much simpler than previous projects and boldly declare that it only takes 4 months to complete. But due to unforeseen sudden changes in personnel, the project ultimately took 6 months to hand over.
It was really a nightmare for the whole team because the budget exceeded the original estimate and the delay in this project caused a series of other projects to be affected. Not to mention that project is considered a typical bad example to analyze and learn from.
After that experience, I realized how too much optimism can quickly lead to delays and was more motivated to learn how to create more realistic timelines.
Instead of just assuming, I will go deeper and analyze similar projects more closely as a basis for realistic estimates. If there is not enough data to refer to, I will ask team members to come up with their own estimates. Estimates from the person working directly on the job ensure no tasks are missed. Furthermore, I will gain approval from the staff and feel more confident in the schedule. And to strengthen the "defense layer", for each project I will spend an additional 5-10% of the estimated time dedicated to unexpected risks.
If team members do not accurately inform team members of work deadlines, they will definitely miss it.
Work deadlines may appear clearly in our minds, but it may be different in the minds of employees. Such as this situation:
- Please do this for me, no later than Wednesday.
- I'm not sure if I'll make it in time. If there are many errors that need to be fixed, it may not be finished until Friday.
- If there are no major errors, you can skip over them. I need it by noon Thursday.
- Yes, I will try my best.
Based on this conversation, I think the deadline is Wednesday. If there are significant errors then I will accept the deal on Thursday morning. However, A thinks that I need the product by Thursday, but if there are serious errors, those errors will be prioritized first, so A still sees Friday as the deadline.
An inch can go a mile, just a little mistake and the deadline is another day. When spoken only in words, the meaning is easily misunderstood. So what is the solution here? That is using work management software or simply an Excel file to clearly assign each person's work.
When their names are assigned to tasks along with deadlines, there can be no confusion.
Along with that, we can ask employees to remind themselves of their deadlines. In the above conversation, if A is asked what the deadline is and answers: "Wednesday, if there are serious errors, then Friday", then I will have the opportunity to clarify expectations and avoid the situation "he said chicken, she said duck" leading to delay?
“Work deadlines force people to think about work. Without goals, teams can drift from week to week without any urgency.”
When employees don't feel any pressure, no deadlines will be made
The first time a deadline is missed, an employee's face may be pale and dirty, not daring to smile or breathing, mentally preparing to receive the boss's wrath. But when nothing happened, they quickly realized that they could miss deadlines whenever they felt like it, and gradually missing deadlines became as normal as weighing sugar in a milk carton.
"There's no problem, so why bother chasing deadlines to make yourself tired, just do it slowly." With thinking like this, there must be pressure or consequences, otherwise some people will never work at their best.
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I find that the best kind of pressure often comes from outside the group. One time, the CEO needed my team to prepare a presentation to present to the Chairman of the corporation within 1 week. No need to remind, just 5 days and everything will be completed. That said, if someone important outside the team and at a higher level demands a deadline to be met, that may carry more weight than if we are the only one who cares.
But it's not always possible to have that "positive pressure", so what needs to be done is to regularly improve the sense of responsibility of employees. For example, with each assigned task, I always include specific consequences if I don't meet the deadline. It's not meant to be a threat or to appear fierce like a tyrant, but just to send the message that missing a deadline is completely wrong.
If you commit a crime, you will be punished, but if you have merit, you will be rewarded. This method will be more effective if it is accompanied by rewards if employees perform excellent tasks beyond expectations.
It can be seen that missing work deadlines is a very common phenomenon in all industries, in businesses of all sizes, so there are still many other reasons, but luckily most of them can be avoided. With this sharing, I hope I can contribute something to help your team not have to hear the complaints that make everyone sweat: "The project should have been completed by now." What kind of business calculation is this?
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