{"id":11361,"date":"2018-06-13T08:11:37","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T13:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=11361"},"modified":"2023-05-24T16:23:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T21:23:59","slug":"why-web-application-development-projects-fail-and-what-it-can-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/why-web-application-development-projects-fail-and-what-it-can-do-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Why web application development projects fail (and what IT can do about it)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Summary: Depending on the survey you read, anywhere from 25% \u2013 68% of development projects fail. These failures often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, waste months (or years) of time, and usually lead to people losing their jobs. Why do these projects fail, and what can you do about it? We answer those questions (and more) in this article.<\/em><\/span>
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photo credit: geralt<\/a> via pixabay<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the past 37 years in the application development software industry, we\u2019ve seen it all. We\u2019ve seen app dev projects of all shapes and sizes, across all industries and company sizes.<\/p>\n

Over that time, we\u2019ve noticed a huge disparity in development speed and success rates. For instance, one company might spend a year on a dev project, while another company completes the same project in a few weeks. One company might complete a dev project successfully, while another company fails on a similar project.<\/p>\n

The obvious question: Why? Why does one project succeed in one business, yet fail in another?<\/p>\n

Of course, the answer to that question isn\u2019t cut and dried. There isn\u2019t one simple fix for every failed project. Over the years, we\u2019ve noticed a few common mistakes that derail dev projects.<\/p>\n

What are they?<\/p>\n

Today, I want to take some of the mistakes we\u2019ve seen over the years and share them with you. Whether you\u2019re creating workflow, reporting, BI, forms, and anything in between, the same rules apply. Certain issues will kill the entire project.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll cover a few of the most common problems that derail a web application development project, and give you some tips on how to avoid them. Sound good? Okay, here are a few common reasons why some dev projects fail.<\/p>\n

Lack of a Clear Objective<\/h3>\n
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photo credit: Bogdan Suditu<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All development projects begin with an objective. But, not all of them begin with a CLEAR objective. The users have a general idea of what they want, but they can\u2019t quite put the specifics into words.<\/p>\n

What happens when you begin a project without a clear objective? It\u2019s like going on a vacation without a specific destination. You know the general idea of where you want to go, but you\u2019ll spend a lot of time wandering around.<\/p>\n

These are the types of projects that keep going back and forth for changes. The project will either fail entirely, or at least frustrate everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to know where development needs to go, you need to know where you will need to end up at,\u201d says David Selden-Treiman, Project Manager and Director of Operations and Potent Pages<\/span><\/a>. \u201cA successful outcome with this requires clear and specific communication with clients and others involved in a project. It’s essential to be as clear as possible, since assumptions made on what the development requirements are can easily kill a project, or at least make it more expensive to complete.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid this problem? Before you begin the project, sit down with the users and understand exactly what issue they\u2019re trying to solve. Don’t settle for vague goals. Agree on a clear and specific objective, and you\u2019ll save countless headaches down the road.<\/p>\n

Mismatched Expectations<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s no secret. Developers and end users often speak a different language.<\/p>\n

For example, suppose an end user asks for an eCommerce application, complete with a reporting element to analyze sales. He\/she might expect something like Amazon.com, with some flashy graphs and charts for analytics. Meanwhile, the developer delivers a simple shopping cart and a basic ad-hoc report.<\/p>\n

The result: The user is upset because the result didn\u2019t match their expectations. The developer is upset because they met the project expectations (as they understood it), yet the user doesn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe major reason web application development projects fail is due to poor expectation setting early on,\u201d says Mazdak Mohammadi, Owner \/ Founder of blueberrycloud<\/span><\/a>. \u201cExpectations should be clearly defined at the start of every project with the help of all stakeholders involved, including the team responsible for delivering the project. Only once expectations for final outcome have been agreed upon should any sort of scope be defined. The more aligned you are at the start of the project, the greater your chance of success. Even BIG mistakes later on in the process are patched over when everyone shares the same expectations for the project. Poor expectation setting will equal a poor outcome.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid this problem? Ask the end user (or whoever is requesting the application) to provide a rough sketch of what they have in mind before you begin. This helps put everyone on the same page, and forces them to be clear in what they\u2019re requesting.<\/p>\n

Lack of planning for the future<\/h3>\n

How do define a \u201csuccessful\u201d web application development project? Is it a solution that meets the business requirements, is completed on schedule, and functions correctly?<\/p>\n

While those are all good things to have in a project, I think success goes beyond that. A successful web application meets the business\u2019 current and future needs. A successful application is designed to grow with the business.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not all applications are designed in this way. They\u2019re built to meet the immediate needs of the business, but fail to address the long term needs. In a few years, that application will be useless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeb application development projects fail for a variety of reasons,\u201d says Brian Engert, Senior Application Developer at Soliant Consulting<\/span><\/a>. \u201cFirst and foremost, problems arise from a lack of planning. Many organizations jump right into a development project with plenty of enthusiasm. However, a crucial first step is a building a roadmap of not only where you want to go and what you need, but also what you need down the road. If your application can\u2019t scale and evolve with your business, it\u2019s only useful for so long. You don\u2019t want to pour money and resources into a technology resource that has a limited shelf life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid this problem? This comes down to the developer. Are they using technologies that will still exist in a few years? Are they building the application with scalability in mind? These are questions you can’t ignore if you hope to have a successful, long-term project.<\/p>\n

Scope Creep<\/h3>\n
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photo credit: Walter Benson<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Have you ever heard statements like this: \u201cI love what you\u2019ve done so far, but wouldn\u2019t it be nice if it could also do (fill in the blank)?\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, \u201cHow hard would it be to add (feature X)?\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, \u201cI ran the application by (person X) and they have some ideas for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, \u201cI just have a small feature to add.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the dreaded scope creep. The users change the app features, and then expect the project to still meet the original deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cScope creep is a fundamental project killer where the stakeholders consistently \u201cmove the goal posts,\u201d says Randy Zinn<\/span><\/a>, Software Architect at Zinn Consulting. \u201cIn minor cases, it causes schedule slippage, but in more severe cases, it can kill a project because of disruption to coding plans, application capabilities, unforeseen consequences, and enough schedule slippage that stakeholders slowly lose faith in the project and\/or development team to meet deadlines. This is unfair, but such things happen. Sometimes new management causes problems when they change an application\u2019s scope, and this can even meaning killing the application outright.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid scope creep? It starts with managing expectations and communicating the impact of changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to quickly advise stakeholders of the impact of their suggested scope changes so they fully understand the risks and how the project may be perceived by not only themselves, but their management,\u201d explains Zinn. \u201cProper communication can mitigate this, and using formal project management tools can make it clear that the impact is no one\u2019s opinion, but a fact.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lack of tools<\/h3>\n
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photo credit: TiBine<\/a> via pixabay<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the growth in development software and platforms, some developers still insist on building applications from scratch. Unfortunately, this lengthens the development project, increases the chances of bugs, and increases the risk of specification changes during the development process.<\/p>\n

For instance, if the development phase requires 3 months, there\u2019s a good chance that the business, and thus the project specifications, could change in that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cA development platform can help prevent some of the most common causes of development project failures,\u201d explains Tyler Wassell, Software Development Manager at mrc<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe right platform should help streamline common development tasks which will improve software delivery time, improve software quality, and ensure that the software conforms to adopted standards. This translates into a project that is more likely to stay on budget, deliver what was promised, and adapt efficiently to changing business requirements.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid this problem? Don\u2019t try to re-invent the wheel or attack a development project from scratch. A good development platform will save weeks, or even months of development, and greatly simplify the project.<\/p>\n

More emphasis is placed on speed than quality<\/h3>\n

In any development project, developers will inevitably face a decision: Choose the fast way, or choose the right way? A shortcut will reduce development time, but could create issues down the road. The \u201cright way\u201d is probably more time consuming, but creates a better result.<\/p>\n

The problem is, the emphasis in the business world has largely shifted over to speed. The business demands solutions faster than ever. When creating web applications from scratch, this puts enormous pressure on developers.<\/p>\n

What happens? Code quality suffers. Developers cut corners. They create applications that fit the immediate needs, but create maintenance and scalability nightmares.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeb application development project failure can always be traced down to code quality issues,\u201d says Heidi Anderson, Co-Founder of theFarmBoard<\/span><\/a>, Public Benefit Corporation. \u201cBusiness pressure to release fast frequently results in overwhelming development team temptation to write and release low quality code. Although coding fast and loose can usually produce a faster initial release, all subsequent releases are slower, and buggier than if they were built on a clean base. Poorly formed code is hard to enhance (hard to understand), time-consuming to repair, and bugs abound. Poor code quality results in poor user experience which results in low user enthusiasm and trust. Once poor code is in place, a larger and larger amount of a team\u2019s time is required to sustain it, leaving less and less time to make actual progress. I recently came off a large development group that was spending between 50%-80% of its time on bug fixing. A common business response to this “productivity” problem is to add more developers. Additional developers add more code to the poor base and slow things down even further, as the code base gets more and more unwieldy. The eventual failure manifests as business and user dissatisfaction and distrust (in the team and the product).\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can you avoid this problem? If development speed is a \u201cmust-have\u201d, you need tools to shorten the process. The right tools will not only speed up development time, they will decrease the amount of testing needed as well.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

These are just a few of the most common reasons why app dev projects fail, but the list could be much longer. Would you like to add to this list? Feel free to comment below!<\/p>\n

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Summary: Depending on the survey you read, anywhere from 25% \u2013 68% of development projects fail. These failures often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, waste months (or years) of time, and usually lead to people losing their jobs. Why do these projects fail, and what can you do about it? We answer those questions …<\/p>\n

Why web application development projects fail (and what IT can do about it)<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Why web application development projects fail (and what IT can do about it) - mrc's Cup of Joe Blog","description":"Summary: Depending on the survey you read, anywhere from 25% \u2013 68% of development projects fail. These failures often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, was"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13,90,36,15],"class_list":["post-11361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-productivity","tag-application-development","tag-web-application-development-platform","tag-web-applications","tag-web-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11361"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14945,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11361\/revisions\/14945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}