tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533727264507128560.post6852378604191556233..comments2024-03-29T04:24:01.240-07:00Comments on Lessons Learned: The four kinds of work, and how to get them done: part oneErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249063135381216090noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533727264507128560.post-8491597588097274082008-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:002008-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00Your comment about the Innovation/R&D phase th...Your comment about the Innovation/R&D phase that it's hard to predict has definitely proven true in my experience. The irony is that while dates early on are unreliable, continuing to create and reach for deadlines seems absolutely necessary from a motivational/productivity standpoint.<BR/><BR/>One approach to the issue you bring up that's worked for us is to set an initial due date that’s overly aggressive, and expect that we’ll probably blow through it (while suspending disbelief as much as possible). This may seem bizarre to deliberately not meet a goal, but our rate of progress accelerates drastically as we get closer to the deadline. We try to take advantage of that phenomenon twice if possible. We also try to communicate the initial due date with as few people outside our company (investors, customers, etc) as possible to avoid losing credibility.Andy Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270360418602584434noreply@blogger.com