Wednesday, February 12, 2020
The Team Wants a New Approach Days Before the Deadline
Updated September 2026: in February 2020, on the most difficult request I had handled with a familiar delivery person, I worked late while reviews slowed down and the team kept asking to change the whole approach close to the client deadline. I stopped arguing and just listened. I have rewritten it into advice on handling late changes of approach.
I had worked with this delivery person on many requests, and none had been this hard. I stretched my hours to finish documents on time. The manager who was meant to help kept suggesting unnecessary changes. As the deadline neared, review comments slowed, yet the team kept asking for a completely different approach. Eventually I went quiet and just listened.
Why do teams change approach close to a deadline?
Usually because a senior reviewer sees the work late, the client signals something new, or the team loses confidence in the original direction. Late reviews and late approach changes often go together: the people deciding were not involved early.
Is staying quiet the right response?
It can prevent arguments, but it also means your view is not heard. A better approach is to listen, then ask one clear question: "Given the deadline on Friday, which approach do we commit to today?" That brings the decision forward without a confrontation.
How do you assess a proposed change of approach?
- What client need does it serve that the current approach does not?
- How much of the existing work can be reused?
- Can it realistically be done before the deadline?
- Who will review and approve the new version, and when?
What if the change cannot fit the deadline?
Say so, with the numbers, and offer options: submit the current approach with improvements, or ask the client for more time. The decision belongs to whoever owns the submission, but they need the facts to make it.
How do you protect yourself from burnout on a request like this?
Set an end time for each day, even if it is late. Tell your manager when extended hours become a pattern. Difficult requests end, but the habit of working without limits can outlast them.
What would prevent it next time?
An early review with the senior people who will judge the approach, before detailed work begins.