Keeping to deadlines: How is it done?

How do editors budget their time to ensure that all deadlines get met? That was an interesting question on an email list this week. The question continued: What techniques/tricks do you find helpful?

I'm a former editor, chief sub-editor, sports editor, news editor, chief of reporting staff, publisher etc of various magazines and newspapers, and the prime technique I've seen is to ensure that the person outsiders are happy to deal with as the senior person is not the one who has responsibility for production and meeting deadlines.

Hence the many terms - managing editor, production editor, senior editor, editor in chief, and the sometimes junior position of just plain editor.

Then of course there are the positions which relate the to actual job being done, so, while I have been night editor on a morning newspaper, I was that for several hours on certain nights only.

Thus, the main technique is to not have the person responsible for deadlines being in a position to have time stolen.

When someone gets through those barriers, what is the next protection? As a normally quiet person, I've found shouting quite effective.

Plan for disasters, then only the details are "unforeseen". For example, on the production side, know who you can call to say -- "I need our paper printed tonight".

When someone else misses a deadline, you need to know which writers you can ask to get a major story written in a couple of hours? But don't allow deadlines to be broken in the first place. And always have backup material.

There will be deadlines which have to be met and deadlines which are set for those who are unable to meet deadlines. Telling a writer "You're too late; we may use it next issue," usually works.

The most difficult situation is when you are editor/publisher/owner and the only staff writer on a weekly newspaper. To help overcome that I had two offices -- the second one with entrances from back and front of the building.

For the editor to have a second desk in the main editorial production area was another trick I learned from the editor of a major daily and it can be easier to work in a busy, noisy office than in the quiet of the management offices where receptionists are loathe to tell anyone that you are in, but can't see anyone. At least they could look and truthfully say "he's not in his office".

On another paper, a long time ago, one of the linotype operators was infallible in knowing when I was in their area for a legitimate reason or when to say "Who are you hiding from?"

I love Douglas Adams' comment (you know the one: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by"), but unfortunately it doesn't work.