1) Management gives an unreasonable deadline to developers before defining the deliverables. Clock starts ticking.
2) Management then fails to settle on the requirements for months and/or continuously moves the goalposts while people are trying to work, turning an unreasonable deadline into an impossible deadline
3) Developers start realizing that they’re going to receive the blame when impossible deadline isn’t achieved, despite not having any control in the matter. They start leaving for new jobs, and the…
It’s the universal pattern of a management team that doesn’t know how to do anything other than make demands and then apply pressure. Unless you can get someone in charge who has real leadership and planning skills, it’s not recoverable.
Source: Watching an acquirer ruin your company | Hacker News