Executive Mandates shutdown the value discovery efforts of software teams Driving to a Date is a Value Destroying Journey. Executive date-based mandates destroy value – everyone, even the boss, knows how this goes:  
Estimates asked for and created, they are of course too high
Estimates are stomped on to reduce, mostly by removing time for discovery of unknowns
Team is pressured to meet those estimates, needed discovery of unknowns is dutifully ignored
Product gets delivered and customer response is negative
The blame game starts as evidence mounts that customers are unwilling to pay for the solution
The executive mandate is clear, just get to done.  Avoid everything that’s in the way: all advice, all expertise, all discovery efforts that detract from hitting the date
Takeaway: valuable software is discovered by developing expertise, learning from voices of dissent, and taking the time to discover better ways to fulfill your customer’s needs. Click slide to see in context of slide deck
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