Describe tight and missed deadlines
Overview
This question evaluates behavioral and leadership competencies such as time and priority management, estimation and planning, stakeholder communication, risk identification, accountability for missed commitments, and continuous process improvement.
Amazon
Jul 31, 2025, 12:00 AM
Software Engineer
Technical Screen
Behavioral & Leadership
0
0
Behavioral: Tight Deadline and Missed Deadline
Context: You are interviewing for a software engineering role. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and quantify impact where possible.
Part A — Tight Deadline
Describe a time you faced a tight deadline.
- How did you plan the work and estimate effort?
- How did you prioritize tasks and identify the critical path?
- How did you negotiate scope and manage trade-offs?
- How did you communicate risks, status, and changes to stakeholders?
- What was the outcome and measurable impact?
Part B — Missed Deadline
Describe a time you missed a deadline.
- Why did it happen (root causes: estimation, dependencies, scope creep, incidents, etc.)?
- How did you handle stakeholders and communicate the slip?
- What did you change in your process to prevent recurrence (tools, rituals, estimation, risk management)?
Solution
Login required
Show