>I think the point is that if you do make those commitments you are just making things up, in reality those commitments are worth pretty much exactly as much as

>I think the point is that if you do make those commitments you are just making things up, in reality those commitments are worth pretty much exactly as much as not making the commitments. Well, reality is not that harsh and there is a middle ground. It definitely is possible to complete things on schedule. Assuming "cost, time and scope - choose two" as a reasonable model, there are trade-offs you can make to get the thing out in time. What the OP argues, and I fully agree, is that it's unsustainable for people to work with deadlines all the time. But I think that discarding deadlines entirely can be competitive suicide. There is a way to put in place deadlines in particular strategic circumstances, assuming (again as the OP implies) you have some control of either scope or cost.