Dickeson--Lift, Pull and Other Dirty Words

"Well, if it's that bad," you say, "then why would anyone do it?" We do it because we've promised a delivery date we can't keep unless we interrupt the completion of forms or jobs already in process. Next question: "Why do we promise delivery dates we can't keep?"

First, we have expensive plants and equipment, creating a productive capacity we must fill in order to be profitable. So when the sales manager or CEO enters the production office and says, "Can you squeeze this job in?," we demur for a moment, but then yield in order to keep the peace—and maybe our jobs. This practice is commonly called "bliviting" (or forcing two pounds into a one-pound bag.)