The client wanted delivery in 90 days. The project manager knew it was not possible but said yes anyway. This episode follows the consequences of an unachievable baseline schedule and the painful process of recovery. Listeners learn how to build a bottom-up estimate, why schedule compression techniques like fast-tracking and crashing carry their own risks, and how to have the deadline conversation before it becomes a crisis.

The Project Files is a storytelling series from Project Management Insights. Each episode follows a real project scenario where something goes wrong, gets complicated, or almost falls apart. The stories are fictional but the lessons are real, drawn from the challenges that show up on projects every day. If you manage projects, work on them, or lead the people who do, these stories are for you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​