immediately if not sooner 是什么意思?以下是例文,怎么样才能做到准确翻译呢?谢谢

immediately if not sooner 是什么意思?以下是例文,怎么样才能做到准确翻译呢?谢谢
A manager went to a master programmer and showed him the requirements for a new application. The manager asked the master, “How long will it take to design this system if I assign five programmers to it?” “It will take one year,” said the master promptly. “But we need this system immediately if not sooner! How long will it take if I assign ten programmers to it?” The master programmer frowned. “In that case, it will take two years.” “And what if I assign a hundred programmers to it?” The master programmer shrugged. “Then the design will never be completed,” he said.

EG. 1“But we need this system immediately if not sooner!
EG. 2 One thing he used to say was, “immediately, if not sooner”. As in, “I want an ice cream immediately, if not sooner.”