A couple of days ago, I watched a presentation by a friend of mine (hello, George Hadjivarnava) about a technical project’s scope and deadline.
Project scope typically includes:
- User flow & designs
- Project features
- Technical specifications
- Tracking
- Project milestones, etc.
Deadline typically includes:
- Deadlines per milestone
- Final go-live deadline
These two concepts often conflict. Let me illustrate with a short matrix:
| Scope | Deadline | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Large | Tight | Half the scope gets dropped |
| Large | Large | Scope evolves due to its size, and the deadline gets extended |
| Tight | Tight | The product will likely launch as an MVP and require further development |
| Tight | Large | This scenario does not exist |
What should we prioritize, scope or deadline?
The answer depends on the project and its context. But generally, when I have to choose, I go with the deadline.
Deadline is real constraint.
Deadline connects the deliverable with the reality.
Deadline help you become better in prioritization.
Deadline kills procrastination.
Here is the presentation made from George:
One important disclaimer: when pushing for deadlines, you must be very careful and sensitive with the scope. Otherwise, there’s a real risk of launching a product that falls short of customer expectations—and that can backfire.
