What would you do if your employee told you just before a deadline that they can't meet it, and they had previously ensured you that it was on track?

Everyone with experience in the business world has either been the one to miss a deadline or report it as delinquent.Often there are multiple teams involved in supporting the outcomes of a project, and all the controls in the world can't predict human influences. People get sick, quit, suppliers go out of business, and so on. Planning for project creep and slippage can help through padding, eventually a deadline is a deadline. When faced with this issue, and determining that there is no way to make the deadline, you may look at the following items below. Looking to assign blame should be the last thing you do.

1. Communicate status to stakeholders

2. Identify specific tasks preventing on time delivery 

3. Identify resource deficiencies

4. Determine new schedule 

5. Communicate new schedule to stakeholders

6. Execute new strategy

7. Initiate Lessons Learned

A good manager must see and read the progress of tasks given, a good manager does not rely on promises made by employee. In above case manager is also responsible with employee.

Certainly i will find out where was the mistake and who was responsible for it and take measure not to repeat it again.

Lile as in life, it can't always be sunshine and roses. You have to take the good with the bad, the positive results with the negative results. Never de-motivate or negatively approach your employee. Rather sit down with him/her and see if there is another approach or structure that can be implemented to get to the desired goal.

This builds trust and confidence in you as a leader and the next time the sales exec will approach you easier and sooner if any issues do arise, giving you ample time to assist ....

Sometimes these situations are unavoidable. Its he duty of the manager to maintain buffer time slots which are unknown to the Team.

*Buffer time slots - Extra time for every task after a deadline.

So in cases where the team is not able to meet the deadline that buffer time can be utilized and will also help in keeping the project on track.

Other possible solution would be.

Helping the team to meet the Deadline.

- By Evaluating the current status of the project

- Restructuring the Team i.e. assigning people with high productivity on curcial and high priority tasks and people with average productivity on task which can be easily handled.

I suggest that you must plame yourself for getting into such a state, but since you are already here I suggest that you assess the current state, define alternative approaches, discuss alternatives with management, implement the approved approach, & make sure that his will never happen again (if you still can).

Every Deadline Have toola to be done on it so we need to check with employee did we we give him all the tools to achieve the task on that deadline or no if yes its mean we give all the support to make things happened then we need to chek with employee about the things Faced Him TO didnt meet that deadline ,how we solve it and how we could prevent that this not be repeated and that what we call it Coach .

In my management this does not happen for the reason that I always implement a daily review mailing on Outlook Express where all stakeholders of a particular project submit daily feedback and any issues is shared and resolved the same day by the stakeholders and myself. 

This has worked perfectly. 

To answer your question : I would investigate and identify the cause and if necessary take disciplinary measures if this was due to negligence. 

Implement 'plan B' that you prepared before assigning this project to that employee. Contingency plans must always be in place to ensure deadlines are met.

Ok. extend the time for that task. employee is a human maybe there would be some kind of obstacles that you should communicate and assist him and be participative with employee. if it is seen Repetitively  from employee then corrective steps need to be taken.

Exceptions are everywhere.. Better act as a leader in such situations rather than being a Boss.. Guide the team for perfection so that it does not happen again.

As i firmly believe that if i am sitting on top and i have delegated a job  to team and they have failed to deliver on time  due to what so ever VALID reasons.  Being a leader i should know how to get out of that situation.

First get out of the hick and then Corrective actions to be put in place. 

Good Day