A time limit or deadline is a narrow field of
time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
, or a particular point in time, by which an objective or task must be accomplished. Once that time has passed, the item may be considered overdue (e.g., for work projects or school assignments). In the case of work assignments or projects that are not completed by the deadline, this may adversely affect the employee's performance rating. In the case of school assignments, essays or reports submitted after the deadline, marks or grades may be deducted from the student's assessment.
In some cases, no materials can be submitted after the deadline. This may occur with
calls for proposal, commercial
tenders for bids, and application dates for universities and
professional schools. For tests and examinations in schools, universities and job competitions, once the time limit for the test is up, the test-takers must put down their pens or pencils and hand in their test.
In
project management
Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. T ...
, deadlines are most often associated with
milestones. Time-based performance targets ''per se'' do not affect an individual sense of
empowerment
Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...
as much as the task uncertainty, which arises with frequent changes to such a target.
Etymology
There is only indirect evidence that the term ''deadline'' in the sense of "due date" may be connected with the use of the term in prison camps during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, when it referred to a physical line or boundary beyond which prisoners were shot.
In fact, the term is no longer found in print by the end of the 19th century, but it soon resurfaces in writing in 1917 as a printing term for "a guideline on the bed of a printing press beyond which text will not print".
Three years later, the term is found in print in the sense of "time limit" in the closely connected publishing industry, indicating the time after which material would not make it into a newspaper or periodical.
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Further reading
'' The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like It's the Last Minute-Before the Last Minute,'' book by journalist Christopher Cox
References
Limittimes.com
Planning
Schedule (project management)
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