📝Estimates in project planning phase tend to become deadlines

In a § Project planning phase, engineers usually work on estimates for the given scope of work. These estimates are then used to get the project approved and budget allocated.

Because changing the budget is usually painful, estimates at this stage tend to become deadlines. I find this to happen even when estimates are explicitly called out to be preliminary, accompanied with caveats, and even when managers acknowledge the same.

Of course that’s not universal but still good to keep in check as it may lead to expectation mismatch.