You are taking on work that will delay prior commitments
Example situation
A customer asks for an additional service that fits your business direction. The managers who would deliver it are already committed to a launch and existing customer work.
Our recommendation
Evaluate the opportunity against current commitments. Ask responsible managers for capacity, dependencies, and feasible options before promising a date. Decide what to defer, reduce, or support within your authority. Confirm revised commitments with those affected and review the business result.
If you are the executive
With the customer-facing leader, establish what the service enables, the evidence for demand, urgency, and uncertainty.
Ask the managers doing the work to estimate options: a smaller initial service, later start, additional skilled help, or deferring or canceling another commitment. Include the work needed to coach new team members. Ask which existing customers or teams would be affected.
Compare the options and the commitments they would change. State which commitments come first and which are deferred. Obtain approval for decisions beyond your authority before making the promise. Explain the choice and its consequences to the managers and the people responsible for affected customers.
When a manager challenges an estimate with evidence, revise the proposal and acknowledge the check during the decision.
Set a review when evidence about demand or completion could change the next commitment. Use the business result and effects on existing work to continue, adjust, or end the effort.
If you are the manager
Show the assignments, required skills, and dependencies used in your capacity estimate. “We can provide the initial service in November if the reporting upgrade is deferred to January.” Include uncertainty in the estimate.
Ask the executive to resolve decisions that affect other teams, customers, or funding. After the decision, revise team assignments and support with the people doing the work. If someone identifies an overlooked dependency, investigate promptly and provide a revised estimate before making further commitments.
Questions that come up
What if the opportunity will disappear unless we act now?
Identify the smallest authorized commitment that keeps the opportunity available. Check the people, information, and approvals needed. If that commitment cannot be met, decide whether the opportunity warrants changing an existing promise.
Can I ask the team to work harder for a short period?
Discuss the work, duration, and support required with the responsible managers. Check organizational working-time requirements and the effect on existing obligations. Set an explicit end and a feasible plan for afterward.
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