[deltaqueue]

Over-promising is usually a result of a poor salesman who does not focus on maintaining long-term relationships with his or her prospects/clients (and will probably jump from industry to industry). Unfortunately this is rampant at businesses with high sales volume and lower software / contract prices because there is minimal incentive to focus on anything besides quotas.

If this happens often at your company, Client Services or Development needs to have a heart-to-heart with the sales manager.

[sunchild]

Unfortunately, some of the most successful software vendors in the world have turned over-promising and risk-shifting into a way of life. For a million reasons, the market tolerates this injustice, and more often than not rewards it. It's hard not to be bitter about it.

[paulhauggis]

I'm actually fine with it. As long as I'm not one of the developers working overtime with no extra pay to get these over-promised features finished.

That's the worst part. The sales guys get a bonus and the developers get an 80 hour work-week.