[twiggie]

You can't have no deadlines at all. The world is moving forward. Military rivals are building their own planes.

[vemv]

Would you rather have a bug-free fighter delivered in 2021 or a buggy fighter in 2020?

Especially considering that many codebases are expected to have a shelf life of 5-10 years.

IME working deadline-lessly doesn't mean you're suddenly knee-deep in a metaprogramming rabbithole. You just do the same stuff, stress-free.

[Retric]

That suggests a 2021 deadline, but many military projects have been 15+ years late. A 15 year old fighter is already in need of updates.

[twodave]

There's a healthy enough difference between an estimate and a deadline, I think. Obviously you want to report progress, but you can do that and work productively more effectively without a deadline, because now you're no longer feeling pressured to lie to yourself and others about what you are capable of.