Use FNLT constraints and the two-gate pattern to catch problems early.
Hard deadlines — regulatory submissions, contractual milestones, external events — can't slip. When the schedule shows you'll miss a deadline, you need to know early, while there's still time to act.
Set a Finish No Later Than (FNLT) date on any task with a hard deadline. When the calculated finish exceeds the FNLT, Consequent shows a red flag — immediately visible.
Key point: FNLT flags don't block — they warn. You see the problem and decide how to fix it.
For critical deadlines, create two gated milestones:
Gate 1: Early Warning (1 week before)
"Internal review complete" with FNLT = 1 week before actual deadline
Gate 2: Final Deadline
"Submission filed" with FNLT = actual deadline
If Gate 1 turns red, you have a week to intervene before the real deadline is at risk.
Document all predecessors of deadline-driven tasks. A delay upstream flows down to your critical milestone. Weekly, trace the chain and confirm each predecessor is healthy.
FNLT constraints act as visible warnings, not blockers. They surface risk early while keeping the schedule honest.
The planner decides how to respond, preserving accountability instead of letting the tool silently adjust dates.
Dive deeper into PM fundamentals in our book, including detailed checklists and examples.
Chapter 4: Iterative Optimization