You
How do you plan when the date is fixed?
ChatGPT
Fix the date and vary the scope, explicitly and in writing, with the cut list agreed before work starts. The failure mode is holding both fixed, which does not change the outcome, only when everyone finds out.
You
Padding gets consumed immediately. Better approach?
ChatGPT
Keep the buffer at the project level rather than per task, and make spending it visible. Per-task padding disappears into Parkinson's law; a shared buffer with a burn chart stays honest because everyone sees the same number.
You
Any downside worth knowing before I commit?
ChatGPT
It commits you to a format that is tedious to migrate away from later. The first weeks also look worse than doing nothing, which is when most people abandon it.