How to miss a project deadline without risking losing your client?

One missed deadline does not make you any less professional, as it happens to everyone. But not everyone understands how important it is to deal with this problem and make every effort to avoid it in the future.

1. Don’t keep quiet about what you miss

In most cases, you should try to let your colleagues know that you are going to be late. No one has ever been killed for failing to meet a deadline. Admit that there’s a problem, and tell them what you’re doing to solve it, what resources you need. Give a deadline by which you can get everything ready, and show that what happened is just an exception that is unlikely to happen again in the future.

2. Determine the type of missed deadline

1. Deadline with an inflection point. After this point comes disaster. The task may no longer be necessary, but if it is still needed, in such cases, it is important to assess the extent of the damage and understand what can be done to eliminate or mitigate the consequences, assessing the remaining amount of work and agreeing on new deadlines.

2. A deadline without an inflection point. In such cases, failure to meet a deadline is fraught with a financial loss depending on the length of the delay. Such a case is solved by setting a new clear deadline that will be met. It will help not to lose trust.

3. Artificial deadline. Failure to meet the deadline, in this case, is no big deal. The way out is the following: explain why it happened, set a new deadline, and make sure to meet it.

3. Take responsibility

By taking responsibility you will show that you understand where you went wrong, that you admit your mistake to yourself and others, that you care about the team. Otherwise, you will be considered an irresponsible employee. Most importantly, remember, you need to get better in the eyes of the customer because they do not care about who is to blame for failing to meet deadlines, your mistake can affect customer relationships with the whole company.

4. Assess damages

Determine what losses the customer suffered. Your task is to provide the customer with a bonus that could mitigate the consequences of missing a deadline. This will help improve the relationship between the customer and your company, which will help avoid a negative reaction from them in the future.

5. New deadlines

To avoid missed deadlines, you need a clear plan of action, which will be the basis for future assignments and projects.

When planning a new deadline, always leave time to spare, don’t rely on finishing your work at the last moment.

Remember that if you don’t turn in a few orders on time, you may lose a customer because everybody wants predictable results, and missing your arrangements can not be predicted.

Bonus

Here are 2 solutions for you that can help you avoid missing deadlines:

1. Outsourcing

Outsourcing helps you save money, get access to highly qualified personnel, and avoid problems like missing deadlines. Outsourcing allows you to:

• Reduce job costs

You do not need to spend money on training employees, buying equipment and software, bonuses, and benefits.

• Improve the quality of non-core services

You get the opportunity to hire experienced, highly specialized professionals who know what they’re doing.

• Ensure independence from circumstances

As part of the contract, the outsourcer is obliged to provide services on time.

2. Off-the-shelf software

Off-the-shelf software is used to support the business processes of many companies. Such software solutions can be adapted to the company, but there will still be functional limitations.

Such a solution has both advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the pros:

• The ability to get access quickly

It’s quite easy to start using the new software and does not require a large amount of time.

• A fast solution to problems

Ready-made software is usually accompanied by a complete manual for handling it and fixing bugs.

• Regular updates

Widely used software usually receives regular updates so that users can cover their needs.

Cons:

• Not all features of the software will meet your needs

You may lack some features and in this case, you have to either adapt to what you have or look for alternatives.

• Changes in software features

The software solution company may decide to remove or change some features or stop the project completely. All of this will require you to spend time and energy searching for a new solution and adapting it to your business.

• Requires customization

You need to configure and study in detail the functionality of the software to make it work in accordance with the needs of your business.

Own software is always better in the long run, but much more time-consuming. The choice is yours.

Looking for a good excuse for missed deadlines. I’ll help you out: there aren’t any. Time management skills and the perception of time are among the defining qualities of a professional. Be professional and don’t miss deadlines. See you!

“Wasted strokes, like missed deadlines, are preventable and costly.”

― Lorii Myers