Yup, sure our team of three devs will build you a fully functioning e-commerce site from scratch that grabs data from several APIs and uploads it to several more.

You need it in two weeks? No problem.

Me: Wait...what the...?!

One week in and I only have access to test one of the four necessary APIs as the client hasn't signed the necessary paperwork with other providers.

Two weeks seemed somewhat aggressive for the project you describes and the dependencies. Please let us know the outcome. Good luck!

I've had a similar issue only this time build a desktop application which grabs data from an api and then parses the data to generate the graphs in d3...in 2 weeks, seems okay but there is not enough data in the API (still fairly new) to generate the results they want and no steps have been taken to generate them either, so I am here stuck generating data from other "sample" reports to help me develop the parsing further and the generate the charts...I have a "working" "prototype" now but still far from production...also the 2 weeks deadline passed and I told my manager its not feasible without data.

I know as coders we love challenges, but sometimes those tight deadlines are nothing but trouble, rushed code, no barely any testing, and no documentation...not good for future updates in the long run

Agreed. I can't see how it's possible in that timeframe with our team and resources, and I've told the management so. It's a process of helping them understand how development works as they are from a print creative background.

Fortunately for me they are pretty understanding and will explain to the client if and why things cannot be done, which has resulted in some v1 simplifications.

As for proper testing... I'm working on helping my colleagues understand it saves time and money in the long run.

Hi guys

we always say yes...in such cases, as saying no..not possible..refutes customers. Instead we say YES and customer comes to his senses in some time.

@chin87 surely it would be better to either be honest with the client or over estimate. Delivering late or a rushed sloppy product would hurt your rep more. I know it's not always feasible but I find that if you're firm with the client from the start then they usually step back. If they're still adamant and want the impossible then walk away. It's not worth damaging your reputation over.

Is it possible to split the work into different phases?