One model that I picked up somewhere (but I don't remember where), which I teach to anyone willing to listen, is that there's four kinds of dates: - Estimates

One model that I picked up somewhere (but I don't remember where), which I teach to anyone willing to listen, is that there's four kinds of dates: - Estimates (I think it will take X long) - Targets (I would like to have it done by X) - Soft deadlines (with low consequences for missing) - Hard deadlines (with high, usually external, consequences for missing) and that understanding the model and using those words solves quite a bit of confusion around dates. Of course sometimes targets become soft (or even hard) deadlines because humans are messy, but being able to distinguish those things is a step in the right direction.