Deadline (glossary entry)

deadline n. A pre-agreed time for completion of a task, goal or project.

Deadlines can be determined in many ways, but for our purposes there are just two categories:

The deadline is externally determined when the task, goal or project is to be coordinated with some other (anticipated future) event over which the team members have no control. An example of this is releasing a new software product in time to sell alongside something that has been announced by a competitor.

The deadline is internally determined when no external events are involved.

In the first case, the scope of the task, goal or project will often be defined in terms of how much can be accomplished by the given time. In the other case, it is more typical to define the project first and then figure out how long it "should" take.

In either case, there usually results a compulsion to finish the tasks, goals, and/or projects by the pre-decided time(s). This compulsion is often reinforced by bully managers. It often causes men to forget that tasks are subservient to goals, goals are subservient to projects, and projects are subservient to the overall purpose of the organization. See priorities and purpose.

Do It Right or Finish On Time?

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