Here, we take a look at why even when projects don’t necessarily have hard, intrinsic deadlines, establishing them for an employee or a team tasked with the work can still have value.

Avoid Miscommunication

One of the reasons managers often fail to set a clear deadline is simply because the deadline seems obvious. They may think, “That type of task should take about a week to complete,” or, “This is usually needed within a business day.”

But this kind of thinking assumes everyone—including those assigning and being assigned the tasks—has the same understanding of those inherent timelines. Verbalizing these expectations and making them explicit can avoid any misunderstanding.

Avoid Surprises

Unspoken deadlines run the very serious risk of not being met, leading to disruption. Imagine a manager who tasks a team member with putting together a research report that represents roughly 2 full days of work.

If the manager checks with the team member the day that report is needed and the team member assumed he or she had another 2 or 3 weeks to complete the work, there’s simply not enough time to get the work done...

Source: HR Daily Advisor