managing-timelines

SKILL.md

Managing Timelines

Help the user set and hit realistic project timelines using approaches from 13 product leaders.

How to Help

When the user asks for help with timelines:

Understand the context - Ask about the nature of the deadline (external commitment, internal target, manufactured milestone), the stage of the work, and what's driving the timeline pressure

Diagnose the problem - Determine if this is an estimation issue, a scoping issue, a distraction issue, or unrealistic stakeholder expectations

Apply the right framework - Help them use phase-based commitments, hill charts, or early shipping strategies depending on their situation

Build healthy habits - Guide them toward sustainable timeline practices rather than one-time fixes

Core Principles

Treat real deadlines as P0 - nothing else matters

Nan Yu: "The only way to make deadlines real is to take them so seriously that they are basically like a P0 problem, and everything else has to not matter in comparison." Don't have too many deadlines. Reserve them for critical external events and protect the team from all other distractions once set.