It is easy to underestimate support and maintenance cost
Especially in the technology industry, it is easy to think, "I will create a thing, and then walk away from that thing, and it will continue to operate and be useful independent of anyone."
This thinking is a fallacy
Occasionally technologies do get a good run without maintenance, but that is the exception, not the norm, and requires both exceptional circumstances and exceptional craftsmanship
Even with a good run, such a technology's days are numbered without maintenance
Even if a technology can get by for a time without maintenance, without support that technology will not be used beyond the scope of its initial deployment
Support and maintenance are two of the primary battlegrounds upon which tech companies compete
If a tech company is not significantly investing in support and maintenance, it will fail
Timelines
The primary cause of late projects is not starting soon enough
Reducing the length of a project either increases its cost or reduces its quality
Time, cost, quality—pick two
An unrealistically short deadline results in any or all of the following: