"Oh damn, I got cut off again!"

I wanted to write a piece on the workout Time Cap. I believe this is a very over looked marker, when figuring out if you need to scale a workout or not, and how much you need to scale the workout if doing so.

First things first, you have to listen to the Coach. The Coach will explain the desired stimulus of the workout before starting, this will be in the form of how long the workout should take and how you should break the work up. This is not something you just brush off because you looked at the workout at lunch time and told your mates that you're going to RX it tonight.
For example,
The workout is Fran, 21-15-9 Thrusters 42.5kg/30kg and Pull Ups. You may or may not have noticed, but some days we do Fran with a 6 minute cap, while other days we do Fran with a 12 minute cap. So within the programming, there are days I want you to be able to move fast, go unbroken on more sets than not, and finish the workout quickly, hence the 6 minute cap. This may mean you have to scale the weight on the bar and may even have to scale the pull ups to be able to finish the workout in under 6 minutes.
On other days, I'll encourage you to do the workout RX'd, or a little heavier than normal on the thrusters, or perhaps with a lighter band-or no band at all for the pull ups, if I believe you have the capacity to do so. This doesn't mean I think you can do it fast, but I know you can get through the work safely and without it turning into something too horrendous to watch. This would be a 12 minute cap day, and possibly a chance for some crew to hit the workout RX'd for the first time or having a crack at beating their old time.

So that's the reasoning and thought behind the sometimes dreaded, but sometimes welcomed Time Cap. (depending on how much you under scaled and the workout is kicking your ass)
It's not there just to make you feel bad for not finishing, but it's there so you scale the workout appropriately for the day.

I hope this helps!