(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen)
The other day I was asked by a colleague why developers in general have a hard time setting firm deadlines. I thought it was a valid question. I am by no means an authority on this issue, but I can speak for myself and for others that I have witnessed and talked to. I think that there are several reasons why developers find it difficult to set a firm deadline for a project. The project often relies on other people getting work done, there is a possibility of other projects derailing the current project, there is always an element of the unknown, and sometimes they simply aren\’t motivated. Let\’s take a close look at each of those.
Teamwork
It is a very rare project indeed that only relies on a single person doing all the work. A typical project could include code from a developer, graphics from a designer, and copy from a copywriter. Yet, often times the developer is the one that is asked when they can complete the project or if they can complete the project by a specific time. This leads to statements like: \”Well, IF I get all the graphics in time, and IF I get all the copy in time, then I will try to get it done by XXX\”. It\’s hard to set a firm goal for completion when there are parts of the project completely out of the developer\’s control. If you are working with a developer in this position, strive to be upfront and honest in your communication so that you both understand all the factors in order for the project to be successful.
Multi-tasking
There are also very few times when a developer is only working on a single project. Many times they can be involved in several projects, and the priorities for those projects can change and shift depending on the needs of the client. Many developers will say, \”In a perfect world where I only worked on this project, I could have it done by XXX\”. If you are in this position, being honest and transparent (and a bit lenient) will help out the situation. It\’s very stressful for developers to switch back and forth between many different projects so try to help them stay on task with a single project for as long as they can.
Various Unknowns
In any given project, it\’s impossible to know with 100% accuracy how everything is going to fit together and work out. For an example: a project is initially planned that relies on another service or application. When it comes time to interface with that service or application, there are unexpected obstacles that crop up. There is always a certain degree of unknown in any project. Sometimes the developer can feel that it will reflect poorly on them if they commit to a timeline, but then unexpected obstacles force them to overextend the schedule. This can lead to them being very hesitant to pin down a specific deadline. In order to help out, be understanding with the developer about unknown elements and encourage them to put some padding in the schedule to account for them.
Lastly, an unmotivated developer won\’t much care for making a deadline. There are many ways that you can motivate them. Perhaps you can incentivize the schedule so that they are paid a bonus for every day before the deadline that they complete the project. You can also think about giving them a share of the profit. Also, always pay them what they are worth.
Whatever situation you find yourself in, whether a developer, or someone working with a developer, it\’s good to understand the importance of deadlines and how to set an appropriate deadline.