The only way they know that they've put enough effort into a project is when they're out of time. It doesn't matter if the design is as good as it could be. It doesn't matter if all of the design specifications have been met - real estate, timing closure, power constraints.
Chips operate within a different metric.
EDA tools within yet another. Actually, the problem is even more insidious than one would think at first glance. Very real problems arise when you ignore that window. Deirdre Hanford, senior vice president for Synopsys, Inc., quotes a customer in Asia who has documented the dollar loss associated with missing a market window, missing that initial opportunity for profit on a product. Because the nonsensical American consumer wants to buy the latest and greatest to put under the tree, to thrill the kids, to impress the in-laws or the girlfriend or the boss.