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If the article is correct, the schedule pressure was entirely manufactured: In the AR-15, the US had a reliable, production-ready assault rifle, that those in t

If the article is correct, the schedule pressure was entirely manufactured: In the AR-15, the US had a reliable, production-ready assault rifle, that those in the infantry who had tested it were enthusiastic about, but the ordnance board delayed and eventually stopped its adoption with dogma-driven design changes that led to the M-16 also being unreliable as well as late.

easyfrag 8y ago
"Deadlines are always arbitrary. Deadlines are a tool used by managers to control costs. That is their only purpose. Often, managers try to justify deadlines by citing other dependent deadlines, but those deadlines are always just as arbitrary." - Alan Cooper
- watwut 8y ago
  That is actually true. And very very applicable to software development.
- WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
  Chris Voss' book "Never Split the Difference" goes into this. He posits that bad deals come from people being strict about artificial deadlines... and it's better to have no deal than a rushed deal. Try it next time someone tells you there's a hard deadline... just tell them you'll deliver when it's done.
  - EForEndeavour 8y ago
    > just tell them you'll deliver when it's done Not trying to be facetious here: I'd love to have this level of freedom from deadlines, but the grim reality is that it'll remain fantasy for most people at most stages in their careers. Me: "I'll deliver when it's done." High school teacher: "Suit yourself. You'll lose 10% of your final grade for every day it's late." Government: "We've assessed a late fine because you missed our entirely arbitrarily set tax filing deadline." Grad school supervisor: "You submitted the final copy of your dissertation four days after the administrative deadline, so you're stuck paying another semester's tuition." Boss: "You're fired."
    - WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
      The book doesn't say to defy deadlines... it just states that almost every negotiation has the deadline being an arbitrary thing being chosen at random.
- leoc 8y ago
  Perhaps this is a useful exaggeration to make a point, but taken at face value it's simply nuts.
azernik 8y ago
IMO, that kind of last-minute top-down bikeshedding is something that needs to be accounted for in the project scheduling process. The rifle was on-schedule for an idealized process, but didn't have enough time to go through all the usual BS.

easyfrag 8y ago

"Deadlines are always arbitrary. Deadlines are a tool used by managers to control costs. That is their only purpose. Often, managers try to justify deadlines by citing other dependent deadlines, but those deadlines are always just as arbitrary." - Alan Cooper

watwut 8y ago
That is actually true. And very very applicable to software development.
WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
Chris Voss' book "Never Split the Difference" goes into this. He posits that bad deals come from people being strict about artificial deadlines... and it's better to have no deal than a rushed deal. Try it next time someone tells you there's a hard deadline... just tell them you'll deliver when it's done.
- EForEndeavour 8y ago
  > just tell them you'll deliver when it's done Not trying to be facetious here: I'd love to have this level of freedom from deadlines, but the grim reality is that it'll remain fantasy for most people at most stages in their careers. Me: "I'll deliver when it's done." High school teacher: "Suit yourself. You'll lose 10% of your final grade for every day it's late." Government: "We've assessed a late fine because you missed our entirely arbitrarily set tax filing deadline." Grad school supervisor: "You submitted the final copy of your dissertation four days after the administrative deadline, so you're stuck paying another semester's tuition." Boss: "You're fired."
  - WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
    The book doesn't say to defy deadlines... it just states that almost every negotiation has the deadline being an arbitrary thing being chosen at random.
leoc 8y ago
Perhaps this is a useful exaggeration to make a point, but taken at face value it's simply nuts.

azernik 8y ago

IMO, that kind of last-minute top-down bikeshedding is something that needs to be accounted for in the project scheduling process. The rifle was on-schedule for an idealized process, but didn't have enough time to go through all the usual BS.