As the person responsible for all clients’ babies and their life cycle at Redhead, I squirm at the idea of missed deadlines. We avoid those like the plague (or measles); however, sometimes avoiding deadlines is better for the project and the client.

6 TIMES TO PUSH PAUSE ON A PROJECT:

1. The project hasn’t fully baked yet.
You’re so close. Everything is about 80 percent there, but the remaining 20 percent is kind of a big deal, like when you’re launching a new site and the news component isn’t functional yet, and it’s really 100 percent of your content. Hold and adjust that deadline.

2. The website has more lorem ipsum than a Latin text book.
Just because the website looks good doesn’t mean it sounds good. Content matters. A lot.

3. Your stats-driven report is ready but has no data, as it’s still being generated.
Ah, hi. Yeah. You need to hold, please. No one cares about who gathered the data if there isn’t any to review.

4. The client continues to make small tweaks to brand standards, voice, etc.
There’s a clear discontent there. Have an honest conversation with your client and team. And fix it.

5. It’s bad timing.
The CEO resigns suddenly. A real national emergency happens. Read the room and adjust timelines accordingly.

6. There’s a doppelganger.
Your competitor launched with a brand-new product that’s eerily similar to yours, down to the name. You might want to hold, stop, and reevaluate where a leak might exist. Because surely there’s a leak somewhere.

Deadlines can be a detriment when they’re the stubborn, sticky thing that won’t budge and yet everything else around it has evolved. Our job is not just to meet deadlines and clear the decks. It’s about making sure the client’s best interests are attended to and that the deadline isn’t a hurdle to generating creative and deliberate ideas and solutions. So, go ahead and miss that deadline. Sometimes.