How Should Your Company Manage Missed Deadlines?

In many cases, a missed project deadline happens for one of two reasons. First, it could indicate that the original timeline was too aggressive or overly optimistic. Achieving it wasn’t simply wasn’t realistic, so the deadline was missed even though everyone on the team was diligent and focused.

Second, missed deadlines can happen because something went wrong. Maybe an unexpected issue caused a delay, or a team member fell behind on their tasks. Even the most well-designed project will inevitably experience a hiccup and, without a robust contingency plan, can lead to a cascade of additional issues.

Figuring out how your company should manage missed deadlines isn’t always straightforward. The cause of the delay may dictate your next steps. If you want to make sure you know how to proceed when this occurs, here’s what you need to consider.

When the Original Target Wasn’t Realistic

If you review the project and determine the original deadline wasn’t realistic, then you need to ask yourself some questions. Was the timeline too aggressive? Were you being too optimistic and assumed that there wouldn’t be any problems, failing to give the schedule enough padding to address issues that ultimately occurred? Did you not take into account how long it takes to complete the associated tasks or didn’t understand the work involved because it wasn’t within your area of expertise?

Once you consider those questions, you need to reexamine the remaining timeline. It’s possible that it wasn’t reasonable from the beginning, so you may need to make changes.

The adjustments could involve pushing back the remaining deadlines. If you use this approach, examine how long it tasks to complete each task and provide some additional time to handle any unexpected issues. You may need to speak with each team member to gain a better understanding of how long handling certain activities take, ensuring you are being realistic moving forward.

A Problem Occurred That Caused a Delay

When a project is well-crafted, a risk assessment is usually conducted before any work is done. The goal is to identify potential issues that could happen that would result in delays or even project failure. And, if this process isn’t completed, a single problem can derail a timeline dramatically.

If you didn’t perform a risk assessment and develop a contingency plan in advance, then the missed deadline might solely be due to poor planning. When this occurs, consider it a tough lesson. Take a step back and perform that analysis immediately and then shift to contingency planning. That way, you can be ready moving forward.

However, there are instances when you did perform the assessment, and something you didn’t anticipate occurs. While a contingency plan may help in these instances, it might not cover what happened, creating the delay. When this happens, you may want to pause and revisit your analysis. See if something similar could happen during other phases or if you may have overlooked another potentiality. If so, revamp your contingency plan accordingly.

When One Employee Causes Missed Deadlines

Poor employee performance can lead to missed deadlines. If the delay was caused by an underperformer, then you need to address them directly.

Schedule a meeting and try to figure out why they fell behind. There can be numerous reasons why an employee’s performance might have missed the mark, so don’t assume that it was laziness. It’s possible the worker didn’t have the right tools or that their workload is unreasonable. They may have encountered an obstacle they couldn’t overcome, be struggling with burnout, or be distracted by a personal issue. By finding out what happened, you can help them find a solution.

As the discussion moves forward, make sure to restate any performance expectations. Make them clear and straightforward, answering any questions the employee may have. Then, provide actionable guidance that can help them move forward. Finally, schedule check-ins that allow you to monitor their progress without micromanaging.

Ultimately, by following the tips above, you can determine the best course of action for dealing with a missed deadline. If you’d like to learn more about strategic project management, the team at Apogee Managed Solutions can help. Contact us to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members today and see how our expertise can benefit you.

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