When you rely on others to complete parts of a task you’re responsible for, always give yourself a buffer.
Let’s say you’re delivering a report, but a colleague needs to contribute their section.
They promise it’ll be ready by Thursday.
Don’t pass that Thursday deadline upstream!
Assume Friday.
Or even the following Monday.
Because it’s highly likely that their timeline will slip, for any number of factors.
The best outcome is they deliver on time and you keep your promise.
The likely outcome is they are late and you break your promise.
But if you add a buffer, the best outcome is they deliver on time and you then deliver EARLY on your promise.
And the likely outcome is they deliver late but you still keep your promise.