It does seem that missing milestones is an unfortunate part of the project process. Sure, as aforementioned, missing milestones can lead to overall improvement of the product. That is, if the missed milestone was unforeseen or having to do with the research and development of the product. However, if the milestone was due to negligence or carelessness in the process, then this milestone is not a good thing. One can argue that this missed milestone due to negligence can alert the engineers in order to improve their process. However, in the grand scheme of how the company is operating, this missed milestone cannot be framed as a good one. Any hiccup in the process can be viewed at as negatively or positively, and can greatly affect the overall mood of the engineering team. After a milestone is missed, the project manager and team need to address the cause of missing the milestone and whether or not it could have been avoided. There are some times when the responsibility is out of the team's hands. However, for when it's not, the team needs to analyze and improve their abilities, and not focus on whether or not missing the milestone is good or bad.
From my limited experience, i think missing a milestone isn't automatically a bad thing, it really depends on the context. Ideally, all milestones should be met on time, but in real-world projects, unexpected challenges happen. Sometimes delays actually give the team a chance to fix critical issues or improve the quality of the product before it reaches the market, which can ultimately protect the company’s reputation and prevent costly problems down the line
That said, I agree with others who pointed out that repeated missed milestones can hurt customer trust and increase costs. There has to be a balance. One or two missed deadlines might be acceptable if they lead to a better outcome, but consistent delays suggest problems in planning, communication, or resource management. In the long term, learning from those issues and improving your process can lead to better success in future projects
