What do we know about time pressure in software development?

Time Pressure means that time experienced by an individual is scarce in relation to the task demands at hand. In this article, we summarize findings and provide practitioner takeaways based on a systematic review of existing literature. We find that most empirical evidence supports reduced quality, increased productivity, and negative effects on individuals under time pressure. Time pressure is caused by company culture, poor effort estimates, and project management. The effects of time pressure can be explained by Challenge and Hindrance time pressure, the Yerkes-Dodson Law and The Job Demands-Resources model. Finally we conclude the article by giving practitioner takeaways related to minimizing the negative effects of time pressure.