This reminded me of one of the big system projects that my company tried to launch by a certain date some years back. The solution back then was dividing up the whole big team into sub groups and each sub group took on a number of sub systems.

It's been done that way from the beginning actually. There are 8 tables, each with an assigned portions of the total work, so in fact they have about 160 minutes per article on average, although some tables are further along than others. That still doesn't leave them much time though, when you consider it took 7 months to get 1/3 of the way through the task. Here's the entire El Comercio article with the breakdown of the tables:

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In 19 days the deadline to deliver the new constitution, the Assembly has approved 30% of its content.

Outstanding items

Table 1 ready-made 72 articles on communication, nature, the Ombudsman, popular sovereignty, rights groups focus ... Tables 2 and 8 ready left 11 articles on the role of Transparency.
Table 3 surrendered 73 articles on the character of the state, the organization of power, public administration, the Constitutional Court ...
Table 4 worked 42 articles on the territory, its organization and decentralized self-government.
Table 5 concluded the drafting of 18 articles on natural resources.
Table 6 was ready for the articles on forms of economic organization of production and management.
Table 7 were approved articles on the rules for decent life.

After more than seven months of operation, the plenary of the Constituent has approved only 163 of the 534 articles analyzed in the first debate.

In theory, in the three weeks remaining, the Assembly will discuss and approve 371 articles from 15 different subjects (see box).

However, in practice, the Whole remaining 14 days to approve 70% of the contents of the new Constitution.

According to the planning authorities of the Constituent globality of the text must be ready by July 19. The reason is that the Special Drafting Committee must have at least 24 hours to review recent articles that are approved at the Plenary.

The mission of this Commission is correct syntax and spelling errors, as well as identify potential errors and duplications in the content,

The idea is that by July 20 the text of the Constitution is already fixed and can be reviewed by the 130 members of the Assembly for final approval.

This final step will be met between 24 and July 25, in an extraordinary session of the Whole. Fernando Cordero, head of the Assembly, said that in this last session constituents will have the opportunity to vote for or against the full contents of the new Constitution.

Thus, the Constituent aims to complete the drafting of the Constitution by July 25, when it will conclude its eight months of work.

To accomplish this planning, the Assembly intends to give two key steps.

The first of these is the possession of members of the Special Committee on Drafting. The event is expected to be met today in Ciudad Alfaro. Unofficially known that its members have already begun to revise the content of the 163 standards already approved.

The second step will be to intensify the working days of the Whole, which will reach up to eight hours a day, including 13 on Sunday.

In this context, the Whole today takes up its activities from 09:30 to evacuate three themes. First, it aims to analyze in the second debate articulated for alternative means of justice, indigenous jurisdiction and Attorney General.

Secondly, the Assembly aims to approve a decree to set September 28 as the date for the referendum approving the Constitution and suspend the elections of October 19 sectional.

Finally, the Assembly will vote the constitutional texts relating to communication rights and rights of nature, whose final content will be known today.

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They'll probably get it finished, but it will be a real rush job, and there's bound to be dissent, such as we've seen already from Acosta. Correa can extend the deadline I believe - he has the power of decree and could use it for that. I think he wanted to put a fire under their butts before he used it though, so that if there was any delay, it would run to days, not weeks or months.

If the mining law is indeed finished, as we've been told, I would expect it to be released and voted on close to the deadline for presenting the final draft constitution - 20th of July. That way, if they have to extend the deadline a few days, they'll have a bit of good news to take attention off the bad. Just a guess, you understand, but that's what I would do.

ebear