Setting realistic timelines requires balancing client expectations with the quality of deliverables. Start by understanding the client's urgency and the reasons behind it. Then, assess your team's capacity and the complexity of the tasks. Communicate transparently with the client, breaking down the process into clear phases and highlighting critical milestones. Offer a timeline that accommodates both thoroughness and efficiency, emphasizing how it ensures better outcomes. Regular updates and early warnings about potential delays can build trust and demonstrate your commitment to delivering high-quality results without compromising integrity.

Communication is key, by setting boundaries and explaining time lines and lead times can help with this. Giving a customer a slightly inflated lead time to make sure if there are any issues you are still meeting the deadline, if a company comes in under that deadline then the customer is happy; but the company still needs to keep that boundary and increased time lines in case there are issues in the future. Communication is also key to employees making the materials to ship. Keeping them in the loop and explaining time lines and lead times for the materials they use help ease frustration and rushing which can lead to misunderstandings, mistakes, and possible safety issues depending on the type of company.

See, the clients will always be in a hurry. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure clients feel a sense of progress. I share a detailed project plan so they understand what’s happening and its deadlines. I outline what I need from them, feedback, approvals, resources. One place for all data they need to share. I prepare buffer time in the schedule to handle revisions or unexpected hurdles without derailing the timeline. Lastly, I set smaller, achievable milestones to show consistent progress, keeping them reassured while buying time for the bigger deliverables.

On the front end, make sure you’re not establishing timelines without taking the time to accurately assess the work that needs to be done to hit the milestones. Include the people who will do the work in the estimations. Avoid operating off your assumptions as a leader. Involve your teams in process rather than setting something and then demanding they hit the timeline. If this comes up midstream, again, involve your teams in establishing potential tradeoffs. Figure out where you can bend and flex to potentially meet client needs but determine the trade offs using the iron triangle to lay them out. From there you can go back to the client and involve them in the decisions. They may not want things faster when they know it comes at a cost.