web developent issues

[douglasbedford]

so i am starting a web community. and i am stuck in mud due to my developer missing dead lines and becoming evasive.

when we first started this project all milestones were met on time.
now that we are reaching the end phases everything falling part.

we have not tested the last version of the site and communication between us is limited and unproductive.

my question is should i just start over with another developer or should i wait it out?

we are a month delayed. and he keeps telling me that "everything done but"...(add an excuse)
we started development 4 months ago and i have put my heart into this project and it is killing me that it not working.

it is hard for me to dissociate and have an objective point of view of this situation. being how i am emotional connected to this project, i know my view is myopic. i just dont want to blow my dream.

thanks for listening

[lach]

Hi Douglas,

It's not uncommon for software development projects to drag on longer than expected. Particularly if there have been substantial changes or revisions to the original specifications. When that happens, it can become demoralising for developers to continue making changes without having some closure from making a release. Could that be what is happening here? Were you happy with the quality of the work up until this point?

I understand your frustration having invested so much into a project and then seeing it left up in the air with no solid indication on completion. I don't know anything about the details of your project, so it is hard to gauge what the problem is and what can be done about it. I'm also unsure of what your relationship is to your developer? or how much experience he has.

Your developer may feel unable to communicate to you the issues he is struggling with. He may feel pressured to commit to unachievable deadlines because the communication is not good enough to negotiate more realistic ones; or perhaps the planning has not been good enough to recognise the full scope of the project and there have been some surprises. The lack of communication may be due to fear of disappointing you.

Without more details about the project it's hard to make specific suggestions; but I would be extremely cautious about starting over again. If you have been happy with what has been achieved so far, it would be much better to find out what issues are holding you back and deal with them. That will be far more productive than starting at square one.

Cheers,
Lach

[Caveman Joe]

When you're building a website, it's often the tiny little fiddly bits that take the longest - the bits you do at the end. It's fair to say that 10% of the work takes 90% of the time.
What framework is the site based upon? I might be able to help.

[douglasbedford]

thank you both.
i guess i am just going to take your advice and just take a step back.

ill keep you informed of the progress.

thank you

[moonblossom]

It's hard to give a strait answer without knowing more about the project but, having worked on web development projects from the developers end, I guess I'd have to ask a few questions before I gave feedback. Kinda playing devil's advocate here.

Did the scope of the project change? I have worked on projects where the scope kept continuously changing, and it's frustrating from the development end because it continually sets other things back, or forces the entire project to be rearranged. You can't actually finish something that keeps growing, and changing.

I doubt this one is an issue, and it may be touchy but, did your developer receive a deposit or any sign of payment? Having worked on projects that kept growing with no monetary value in sight I can say from that perspective it doesn't encourage one to work a pace, if you know what I mean. Not intending to offend, but a project becomes a developers dream when they have something invested in it.

Does your developer, in fact, have everything they required for the project to be completed? I've had multiple instances of a client wanting a finished site without providing me with everything I need to present a finished site. If they say they have everything, then there is really no excuse not to have it done unless the two options above are an issue.

If none of these is an issue, I would let them know you want to see the final version by a certain date and if they don't show, then transfer the project to another developer.