I’ve found it problematic to couple the construction of something with a launch date. For contrast, I’ve found it advantageous to launch something when it’s ready and then promote it when it’s stable.
Making shipping a priority is more fun, too. Deadlines feel like work, shipping feels like a challenge.
https://signalvnoise.com/posts/2486-bootstrapped-profitable-proud-github
A couple exceptions:
- externally imposed deadlines, eg security issues, GDPR and Transfer Service Agreements
- cadence meetings, eg demonstrating the latest work at the end of the week
Pandemic update: when conferences were cancelled wholesale, all deadlines relaxed, to what seemed like universal relief; but now that conferences next year seem plausible, deadlines are back without a thought 🤦♂️