How to Mitigate the Fallout of Missing a Deadline

If you’re in business to deliver products or services, chances are you’ve heard at least some of the reasons for missing a deadline, including these gems. There may be a few legitimate reasons to miss a deadline, but in the long run, keeping your word is much more important to your business than excuses. Missing even one deadline damages your company’s reputation if you don’t make amends.

So while you must do everything in your power to avoid missed deadlines, you also have to know how to deal with the consequences when it does occasionally happen. Missed deadlines can sometimes be unavoidable, especially if you over-promise your deliverables and then a key employee gets sick or the scope of the project changes. Learn what to do next to handle the situation.

Lots of Moving Parts

If you’re the leader of a web development team, a project manager or an agency owner, you have to manage — and trust — others to do their jobs and do them well. Usually, your office may run like clockwork, pumping out great work on a tight schedule. But one incident — which can include not just an illness, but a defection or retirement — can throw your office into chaos.

Everything on your schedule usually trickles down and affects everything else. If you miss one deadline, every other project in the works or in the pipeline suddenly becomes in danger of being delivered late. Missed deadlines should be unacceptable to you and your business. Consistently missing deadlines is a recipe for a loss of work and a negative reputation.

Don’t Point Fingers

If you missed a deadline, don’t point someone out as the cause. Blaming others, even if you’re correct, does nothing to rectify the current situation. Instead, follow these steps to get the work done and delivered as quickly as possible, while you placate your client:

1. Assess what work still needs to be done. Regardless whether it’s a lot or a little, this work should be your company’s priority until it’s completed.
    
2. Immediately assign the work to someone you know will make it happen, including yourself. In other words, “get ‘er done” and get it done with the highest level of quality possible.
    
3. Meanwhile, communicate with the client that the work has been delayed as soon as you know you won’t make the deadline. Own up to the problem and take responsibility. Again, don’t point fingers or make excuses.
    
4. Offer to make it up to the client in any number of ways, such as a discount off the top of the current project, a valuable free extra or a deep discount on a future purchase. If your company is to blame for the delay, make sure your client understands that you value the business and will do what it takes to make it right.
    
5. Deliver the work as soon as you can, making doubly sure that it’s correct, accurate, complete and of the highest quality. Don’t disappoint a client you’ve already made wait for your product or service.

Honest and forthright communication is always the best approach. Don’t wait for the client to contact you, asking about the product or service. Reach out and alert them as soon as you know you’re going to experience any missed deadlines. Customers appreciate the personal touch in these instances. Even if they’re initially angry, you often can overcome this with a sincere desire to make it right and clear communication that you can always provide in a timely manner.

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