I didn't describe this setup, but it sounds to me like they are using Kanban. Properly executed Kanban should have Queueing and WIP limits to prevent clueless r

I didn't describe this setup, but it sounds to me like they are using Kanban. Properly executed Kanban should have Queueing and WIP limits to prevent clueless roaming, make sure tasks get completed, and provide feedback. If something doesn't get finished in an acceptable amount of time you hit the WIP limit, a red flag is raised, and that task becomes everyones priority. If you regularly hit the WIP limit then you have a problem that needs to be addressed. If you don't set these limits then you are absolutely correct. In this perfectly acceptable scenario you do need deadlines, however I'd argue that adjusting pace isn't the correct step. Here you should remove low priority unfinished features from the deadline, maintain a sustainable pace, and use features completed as your metric.