What is the actual purpose of deadlines?
According to an article on LinkedIn Pulse, many managers believe that a deadline is simply a way to inform an employee when a task must be completed. However, in reality, deadlines serve several important functions:
- Structure and organisation. Deadlines help structure the team’s workflow and organise tasks within ongoing processes.
- Motivation and focus. When people have a set deadline, they tend to be more focused on the task and motivated to complete it on time.
- Time management. Deadlines support your team members in organising their time more effectively and in setting priorities.
- Responsibility. Finally, deadlines give employees a stronger sense of ownership over a task. Without any deadline, the feeling of accountability would be much weaker.
How to set realistic deadlines
- Involve team members. Include your team in the planning and deadline-setting process. They know best their own time and capacity and, if they are engaged from the start, they are more likely to commit to the deadlines.
- Rely on accurate data about your team’s capacity. Do not rely solely on your instincts. Use reliable data to understand how much work your team already has.
- Communicate in a timely manner. Avoid assigning unrealistic or overly ambitious deadlines at the last minute.
- Explain the context. To help your team understand why a task must be completed by a certain date, always provide the broader context. Explain why the task is necessary and make it clear that the deadline is not arbitrary.
- Be flexible. While deadlines should generally be respected, it is also important to remain flexible and listen to your team if they provide valid reasons why a deadline cannot be met.
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