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.