Some time ago, my programmer friend surprised me with this statement:
“I work in a product company. We don’t have deadlines – we’ll finish when we finish.”
In rare cases, this may be true. But even in product companies, it’s not that simple. Usually, the opposite is true – the deadline exists but is invisible to you. The reasons for this vary – from superiors' reluctance to inform about such matters to your lack of interest in the business aspects of the organization’s work. This doesn’t change the fact that the deadline exists.
Types of Deadlines
There are several types of deadlines, most of which will be invisible to you:
- Your End-of-Work Deadline – When you planned to finish your work so that the next person can plan to continue.
- Informational Deadline – When you should inform the other person that you will not meet your end-of-work deadline.
- Completion Deadline – When the entire feature will be completed. For example, if you are a programmer, your end-of-work does not mean that the feature is ready for the customer.
- External Deadline – When external factors (e.g., legal changes) force us to complete the work.
- Value Deadline – When implementing this feature will bring us value.
- Company Deadline – When implementing this feature will not threaten the company’s operations.
It is very important to distinguish between your end-of-work deadline and the informational deadline. We have a very unpleasant tendency to inform that we will not deliver something exactly when we should finish the work, even if we knew several days earlier that we would not make it.
It is also worth knowing how to distinguish when the interlocutor is asking about your end-of-work deadline and the completion deadline. Usually, it’s the latter. I have answered with the former a few times and then took the heat for it.
Can I Extend the Deadline?
Many people seem to think:
“Every deadline can be extended.”
Yes, but we often do not consider the cost of delay.
What is the cost of delay? The best way to illustrate it is through a graph:
Consequences of missing the deadline:
- We start generating profits later.
- The profit does not reach its potential maximum.
Therefore, in future iterations, please ask what impact a specific deadline has.
Why Is Knowledge of Deadlines Important?
First of all: Work Organization. Understanding deadlines helps in better planning work. We know what is important and what is less so. This is especially important when resources are limited and tasks are increasing. We manage time better, and thus deliver more effectively.
Second crucial thing: Team Communication. For something to be important, it must be important to everyone. A task may be very important to you, but not necessarily to your teammate. However, if you share your insights with others, it will be easier to discuss priorities.
Lastly: Building Trust. Effective deadline management builds trust, both within the team and with clients and stakeholders. People can trust that they will get what they need on time. And even if not, you will certainly inform them well in advance.
Do you use such a distinction of deadlines? Or maybe you recognize other categories? Let me know in the comments 😊
