What is a positive word for "deadline" that's < ~10 characters?

What is a more positive word for "deadline" that has also comparable length as "deadline" (~8 characters) so it's easy to type (hence more likely to catch on)?

I'm a fan of positive reinforcement if I can be, and I think using the word "deadline" negatively reinforces the "due date" (though "due date" doesn't inspire any sense of hurry).

Personal Choice: "finish line" as in "When do we have to reach the finish line?". It sounds like a place that if I work real hard and fast get to it, there will be rewards there (and maybe snacks).

If that remains a top choice, I'll write that up as the answer, but I'd like to see other ideas.

Solution 1:

Target or goal would be my suggestion.

"Our target is june 15th, there will be many snacks awarded when we hit it!"

Solution 2:

Goal is my personal choice, but maybe anything more specific to your finished product. For example: Publication or Production for software research.

Weaker terms: checkpoint, milestone.