The short version
Delays are almost always predictable a week before they happen. The discipline is noticing and acting early.
What is really going on
Render time is routinely underestimated because it is estimated from the simplest shot.
Approval chains lengthen near the deadline as more stakeholders are pulled in.
Final delivery specs frequently change late, adding an unplanned export day.
How to handle it
Test-render the hardest shot in week one to get a real time estimate.
Gate each stage with written sign-off; do not start animation on a verbal board approval.
Reserve the final two days for exports, QC and captions only — no creative work.
The takeaway
Protect the end of the schedule. Almost every late delivery is a project that spent its buffer on the middle.