Vendors publish the deadline. The number that decides your outcome is the last date you can start, and for May 2027 that date is late January 2027.
The arithmetic
Full compliance is due 13 May 2027. A standard engagement runs 12 to 16 weeks on vendors' own published numbers. Working backwards, the last honest start for May lands in late January 2027.
A late-January start carries zero margin. One slipped week, one delayed vendor, one stalled internal approval, and the deadline arrives mid-programme.
The earlier deadline inside the deadline
Consent Manager registration closes on 13 November 2026. Anyone whose plan depends on that lane is working a runway measured in weeks. Check which of your obligations carry the earlier date before you plan around May.
The backwards calendar
| You start by | What is still possible |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | The full programme with slack, including a proper consent recapture campaign. |
| November 2026 | A complete programme on a thin margin. Recapture starts immediately. |
| Late January 2027 | The minimum honest runway at 16 weeks. Zero slack for a slipped week. |
| After January 2027 | Compressed scope and triage. The programme covers the highest risks and documents the rest. |
Why nobody publishes this
Publishing the last start date admits the work takes months. A market selling software subscriptions prefers a deadline that always feels far away. If you are planning to begin in the new year, you are planning to begin with zero margin. The calendar is now the most expensive vendor in this market.
Start this week
Name the owner of the compliance programme.
Begin the data audit. It gates everything else.
Book the scoping conversation while the calendar still has slack.
Next step
What each start date costs, published in the open.
See the price ladder →Related reading
Written by Sushant Pasumarty
DPDP consultant. Founder, Meridian Bridge Strategy. This page began as field notes from live client work.