To schedule or not to schedule

This one I learned it the hard way and it indeed turns me from a not must have schedule to a must have schedule for every project! This really means every project! Even if it is an ad-hoc project (no time for requirement gathering, not enough time for analysis, not enough time for every aspect required for a normal project) No matter ehow important that project is.

The last project I've been working in has a very short "deadline" based on when it is represented to the user (not by me) along with a set of features to be implemented. Instead of creating a detailed schedule to measure the effort, what I did was motivating my developers that they can finish it....

Indeed that was a BIG BIG mistake that I made, now knowing that creating a schedule for it might help lessen the expectation. maybe the name of the game is managing expectation... a hard lesson and it must be one of many important lessons that I learned.

Many arguments passed my mind, but failure is a failure, no excuse.
Fyi, the current situation doesn't allow me to have more developers, enough time for testing, analysis, user feedback, etc... Reminds me of a suicide project once a friend told me about, either died along with the project or avoid it, which the later option isn't possible for me, but I'm going to survive with a lesson learnt.