Novels always have a first draft. Authors are not expected to get a book right on the first try, nor are they expected to finish certain chapters on certain dates, and they are most certainly not expected to work with 5 other novelists on the finer points of the main plot line.
Today's software developer profession is perhaps more akin to journalism or television screenwriting than novel writing.
There's no time to create art when you're on a schedule, but you have to earn a living somehow.