(2019-03-12) Cutler Should We Have Deadlines

John Cutler: Should We Have Deadlines? The key to deadlines is figuring out what you are hiring the deadlines to do.

First off, I am assuming you mean artificial deadlines. Real deadlines have a direct (and often large) economic consequence

The “jobs” of artificial deadlines include:

I do believe in healthy forcing functions. Without frequent integration of ideas, expectations, learning, etc. we’ll have trouble solving problems. (cf RAMPS)

Arbitrary artificial deadlines fueled by estimates are unhealthy IMHO.

Big note: Some teams don’t use deadlines at all. To the outside this feels heretical and “completely irresponsible!” What they don’t see is that the jobs above are being accomplished in other ways, and that is a big lesson: you can do many of those jobs more safely and effectively without deadlines.