Why is my website project taking so long, and what can you do about it?
A late website project is usually late for ordinary reasons, on one side or both: words and approvals waiting on the owner, scope that grew, or a designer with too many jobs at once. Start by asking in writing for a dated plan, a list of what is blocking each step and a current copy of the work. Then agree new dates for both sides, and check the agreement before any decision about ending the work or about payment.
Where the delay can sit
The related answer on how long a website takes to build covers why words, photos and approvals are the usual slow part. Once dates have slipped, the delay can sit on either side, or on both.
| Where it may sit | What it can look like | A question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting on you | Questions or files sent to you, unanswered | Is anything waiting on me? What exactly, and by what date? |
| Scope that grew | Pages or features added after the first plan | What have we added since the first plan, and what did each addition move? |
| The designer's workload | Long gaps and vague answers about dates | What is the next step, who is doing it, and when will I see it? |
| A third party | A domain, a tool or an outside approval holding up a step | What are we waiting for, from whom, and since when? |
What to ask for in writing
As general advice, put the request in an email, not only on a call, and keep it short and calm. Ask for:
- A dated plan: each remaining step, who does it and the date it should be done.
- What is blocking each step, and who can clear it.
- A current copy of the work: a link to a working preview, or the files as they stand today.
- A list of the accounts and logins the project uses, and whose name each one is in.
- A date for the next update.
How to get it moving
Agree new dates for both sides in one message, so neither is waiting on the other. If you owe words, photos or decisions, send those first. If the scope has grown, ask whether some additions can wait until after launch.
If a date passes again, say so in writing and ask what changed.
Before you set a deadline or end the work
As general advice, read the agreement first. It may say how to give notice, how a missed date is handled, what you receive for work done so far and what is owed. Check what it says about payment and about ending the work before you decide anything about either; a lawyer or accountant can read it if the amount is large.
Signs that a change may be needed include several missed dates after a written plan, no working copy to look at, and no answers to written questions. Before any break, find out who holds the domain and hosting accounts, and keep a copy of your own words and photos. If the designer has stopped replying, the related answer on getting your website back from a designer covers recovery. The related answer on what a website design contract should include covers what to put on paper next time.
Starting again with someone new takes time too, so a reset with the current designer is sometimes quicker. Ascent Vision builds websites and could be the new builder, so read this with that in mind.
Related answers
- How long does it take to build or upgrade a small business website?
- How do you get control of your website back when the designer has disappeared?
- What should a website design contract include?
Websites, built or upgraded
A new site from a blank page, or the one you have made fast, clear and worth visiting. Either way it is built to do one thing well: turn a visitor into a customer.