What sits inside the window
Scoping and design come first, and compressing them does not save time — it moves the cost to the build phase where changes are more expensive.
The build itself is usually the most predictable part. What is less predictable is everything attached to shipping: store metadata, privacy disclosures, and the review process.
What gets underestimated
Store submission. Apple’s review is usually quick, but a rejection means a fix and a resubmission. First submissions get rejected more often than teams expect, most commonly over privacy disclosures or account deletion requirements rather than anything about the code.
Content and assets. Screenshots, descriptions, icons and legal pages are frequently the last thing anyone thinks about and a common reason a finished build sits unreleased.
Third-party dependencies. If your app needs access to someone else’s API, their onboarding timeline becomes yours.