But then you don't have an end date.
Deadlines are useful. Yes it may need to be pushed back but saying it'll be ready when it's ready with no time frame is not, in most cases useful.
Deadlines are useful. Yes it may need to be pushed back but saying it'll be ready when it's ready with no time frame is not, in most cases useful.
In a perfect world (for me, from my point of view), there are no deadlines, but rather short plans and enough understanding of the plan to decide whether doing something specific is useful or a hindrance (and to what degree) for executing that plan.
But alas, deadlines are easier to decide on.
Shorter, soft deadlines and milestones are also good, since they provide a measurement between long term planning and current progress. Without them larger projects will likely failed than success.
However management loves short, hard deadlines with artificial reasons, which makes them stressful.
It’s fine to say “we need to ship a product by 2023”. But the kind of long term plan the article is talking about would not only set a date but list the very specific features that will be delivered each month leading up to the date. This kind of planning happens really often. It’s nuts, for the reasons they list.