Updated September 2026: in February 2020 the leadership team kept requesting changes the day before submission, with calls running late into the night. I told the delivery person we would continue in the morning, and then offered to make what changes we could and leave the rest to them. I have rewritten it into advice on handling last-minute changes before a submission.
The call was already running late when more leadership changes arrived. I told the delivery person I would not make changes that night and we would pick them up first thing in the morning. The next morning he called before I was out of bed. I asked for time to log in, then called back and said we would make the changes we could; for the rest, leadership could decide whether to submit as it was or withdraw from the request. In the end we addressed as many suggestions as we could.
Is it reasonable to refuse late-night changes?
Usually, yes. Tired people make mistakes, and last-minute errors in a submitted document cost more than a delay of a few hours. Offering a specific time in the morning is not a refusal; it is a better plan. The exception is a genuine deadline that night, in which case the change list should be cut to what matters most.
How do you prioritise last-minute changes?
- Must fix: errors, wrong client names, incorrect figures.
- Should improve: clearer wording, better ordering, if time allows.
- Nice to have: new content, redesigned slides; usually drop these.
Share this list with the person who owns the submission and let them choose.
Who decides what gets left out?
The person accountable for the submission. My suggestion to let leadership decide between submitting as is and withdrawing was, in effect, handing the decision back to them. It is the right principle, but the tone matters. Framed as options rather than an ultimatum, it lands much better.
How do you stop last-minute changes happening every time?
Get leadership to review earlier. Schedule a leadership review two or three days before submission and make the final day for corrections only. When leadership sees the document for the first time on the last day, late changes are guaranteed.
What should you do after the submission?
Note what changed late and why, and share it with your manager. It gives them evidence to push for an earlier review next time. Last-minute changes are often a process problem, not a people problem.