I'm not surprised when Helya can't say. The larger the organization the less certain things will be done in the time frame as somebody has envisioned and thus, to state even a "target" date is to make yourself a firm and clear target of the wrath of the customers when you miss that target. And, more than likely, you will. Why? Because usually the one making the "firm target date" doesn't know everything that is going on, is under somebody who may shift "resources" suddenly to do this or that (denying the resources, therefore, to finish the project with the "firm target date."), markets may shift, competitors may release a similar product a few days earlier, the sky may fall, and all that. The reasons are legion and all of them are out of the control of the one who delcares the "firm target date." In other words, because it's a human endeavor the larger the number of humans involved the less likely it will meet that "firm target date." And the more likely therefore that the "firm target date" will not be announced until very late in the process, even if it's known by everyone in the company. And that is why I always feel for those who are in direct contact with the customers and have to field the question: "what's happening and when will it happen?" Wish it were different, but it is what it is.
AJ