Schedule compression risk arises when projects employ crashing or fast-tracking techniques to shorten delivery timelines, often in response to market pressures or executive mandates. Accelerated schedules may require overtime, parallel workflows, reduced testing, or acceptance of technical debt, each introducing new failure modes. Quality assurance activities are frequently sacrificed, leading to defects discovered post-deployment. The Boeing 737 MAX development faced schedule compression that contributed to inadequate safety reviews, ultimately resulting in fatal accidents and a global grounding costing billions of dollars.