Setting accurate deadlines is pretty much impossible to get right. Things always come up that add days, weeks, and even months. These 5 time management tips will help you manage time effectively and ensure everyone involved is happy.

1. Define the problem(s) collaboratively / Have a shared vision from the start

If all team members are not involved with understanding and solving the problem from the start, there will be confusion throughout the product development process. This confusion will lead to downtime and lack of motivation. People need to feel ownership of their duties and respect for their place on the team.

2. Agree on the scope and only be open to removing from it

Predictability is paramount to productivity. When people know what needs to be done and they have the room to get things done, wonderful things happen. Having a scope that cannot be added to means expectations are understood, which gives each team member the confidence they need to move forward.

3. The people doing the work should be the ones setting their respective timelines

It may be tempting to hand off a deadline. Problem is, people will optimize for the forcing function of time rather than the solution or customers’ needs; they’ll look for shortcuts to ensure it’s met, whether intentionally or not. Of course, judging the amount of work involved is difficult. It’s easy to miss things, especially with software where it’s hard to know what it’s going to take until the work actually begins. However, by going over the areas of work methodically, over time people will get good at estimating the rate at which they get things done.

4. Adjust for the unpredictable, ideally upfront

There are so many outside forces that can affect the timeline. Bugs popup. People quit. How you handle things when this happens is important. Maybe this means preemptively doubling the timeline estimate upfront. Maybe it’s cutting the scope. Get good at accepting, and handling, the unpredictable. Choose to miss the deadline over releasing a crappy product.

5. No interruptions

If you want to meet a deadline then you’re going to have to leave people alone to do their work. We all know the costs task switching has on productivity. If a deadline is the most important metric, then don’t interrupt work from happening.

If the person doing the work is you, you need to block out long stretches of uninterrupted time so you can get things done.

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