Why do Websites Fail?

Written by Mahad Khan

Mahad Khan is a Certified Agile Practitioner currently working as Project Manager. Dedicated, team driven and most importantly passionate about providing the best experience to the customers. His ability to coordinate internal resources and vendors results in the flawless execution of projects. He believes every day you have an opportunity to improve, learn and explore new things in IT.


If a project is coded inappropriately, at that point you need to discard it and begin once again. The cost to settle these issues can be noteworthy. Our experience with different clients has motivated us to create this pitfall to strategically avoid, next time anyone embarks on a project regardless you are a client or a developer.

Here are a few of the top reasons due to which web projects fail.

  1. Unclear Definition of the Scope & Requirements

Everybody is so restless to go ahead, yet they don't consider how it's all going to function and what occurs under various situations.

This is particularly evident when an organization puts their business online for the first time. Most customers think they comprehend what they need. However, they overlook many things; the devil is in the details. In many instances, clients, when pressed for more information, have not thought through all the ramifications.

Make a detailed scope and plan each step of the project carefully. Because if the scope and requirements have not been analyzed properly there are more than 70% chances to have Scope creep.

The projects that face scope creep in the early stages of the project are usually those projects that end up as a failure in the market.

2. Lack of Stakeholders

The management needs another site to meet corporate goals and to expand its ROI. However, the management is unable to make time to get involved when critical decisions are being made at different levels.

Many issues can emerge when management tests the Beta form and discovers it's not what they initially planned for. Changes can be extremely costly and its a waste of time if changes are made at this stage instead of the beginning.

 3.  Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't bite off more than you can chew. If you have a complex project, built it step by step in phases, at this stage the selection of Software Development methodology plays a vital role which defines the lifeline of the project.

It is not necessary to publish the entire project at once. It is advisable to replace the existing website phase by phase.

 4.  Designing Websites Without Purpose or Functionality

You have most likely observed some beautiful designs for new website/ projects that just can't be developed or would be excessively costly, making it impossible to build. It's best to wireframe out the functions you want taking into account the platform the website will be built on, as each platform has its limitations.

Then have the development team work together with the designers, so they can come up with something that has a rich UI/UX and is functional. Else, you could end up with a Frankenstein site on your hand that is neither.

 5.  Not Using Version Control

It's unimaginable today to manufacture new sites without a type of source code control framework. At the point when developers code, maintain the source code and refresh source code records for a huge application, the coordination can be mind-boggling.

Source-control frameworks record all document changes, with remarks, in a task. You need the rollback functionality, consolidate work and work offline. Appropriate source code control is fundamental for any venture.

Lack of Good Project Management

  • Website Project Manager

The Project Manager (PM) is the Quarterback (or number 10) of the football group. The PM is in charge of the effective arranging, execution, checking, control, and conclusion of a task.

 “Being a Project Manager is like being an artist, you have different colored process streams combining into a work of art” ~ Greg Cimmarrusti

The PM needs to comprehend the customer's needs and be a point of communication to and from the developers. Without a capable PM, the task will get off track and turn into a runaway train that ends in disaster. A good PM will distribute week by week advance reports keeping everything on track.

  • Hacking Core or Source Code

Hacking is changing the source code structure. When an unqualified developer doesn't know how to do something, they tend to hack the code in the websites to make it work. This causes various issues and significantly influences quality. In the event that a developer fixes one issue and another emerges, it might be the aftereffect of a considerable measure of hacks.

Doing this will make it close to impossible for the site to update because of security and bug fixes. It likewise makes it troublesome for those that come in later to keep up the site and could leave a site vulnerable to threats.

  • Lack of Cohesive Quality Assurance

All projects have bugs, so it's better to find the problems first instead of the users. Set aside 15% to 20% of the development time to perform appropriate QA. Ensure there is an exhaustive QA Plan, else you could get a site that has a considerable amount of issues.

Developers should consider quality from the very beginning and be in charge of settling their issues. Otherwise, things could get extremely sloppy.

“Never allow the same bug to bite you twice.” (Steve Maguire)

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