10 problems of a website project you can't blame on the CMS
Discover the most common website project problems and how to fix them (spoiler: none of them involve your CMS).
Written by Vegard Ottervig on
Discover the most common website project problems and how to fix them (spoiler: none of them involve your CMS).
Written by Vegard Ottervig on
The poor CMS: it bears the brunt of so much frustration over sluggish website projects. But website problems arenât always down to technical issues.
Often inefficient project management, a lack of skills, and a far from perfect organizational structure are the real culprits.
Here are some of the biggest challenges facing website projects and how to solve them.
Does it feel like youâre sinking time and money into patching up inefficient systems? Itâs probably because you are. Maintenance might seem like the easy option, but when itâs prioritized over innovation you can end up with a digital architecture thatâs consistently slowing down your website projects.
One of the biggest website problems isnât down to misbehaving tech but red tape. Ineffective policies, sluggish decision-making and an endless stream of paperwork can turn a simple website project into a Kafkaean nightmare. Instead, take inspiration from lean startup techniques designed to crack down on waste and shorten product development cycles.
Future-proof your digital experiences:
It takes a skilled and diverse team to create a great digital experience, but that collaboration can also be the source of major problems. To prevent sluggish communication between departments, itâs important that you establish the best way to collaborate from the off. When youâve chosen a method that suits everyone, stick to itâgoing off-piste can lead to important information being lost between the cracks.
You might count yourself as a pro multitasker, but those small tasks can derail even the most carefully planned website projects when allowed to stack up. To keep your project on track, why not create a priority lane for small tasks. This stops them from getting in the way of other tasks and makes it easier for your digital team to sprint through them.
Save time in your website project with Next.js and headless CMS »
It doesnât matter how powerful your CMS isâwithout the right skillset, your website project is never going to get off the ground. Training can often be enough to get your teamâs skills up to date, but other times itâs best to invest in expert help. It might seem like cheating, but bringing in outside help can be the right move. Development partners can help fill in the skills gap to create your digital dream team.
Itâs not just building a digital experience that requires the right skills. Deploying and maintaining cloud hosting is another common roadblock for website projects. Choosing a cloud enterprise package can be a surefire way of guaranteeing uptime while freeing up your developers and digital team to work on other things.
Here are the most underrated skills thatâll make you a rock star in digital experiences »
Working with a legacy system isnât always easy, but it doesnât have to sabotage your website project entirely. To ensure a seamless experience as possible between a legacy system and your new one, ask the experts to expose the right APIs for integration.
If your website project is dragging on for months on ends due to constant bottlenecks and inefficient communication, itâs time to stop blaming your CMS and start focusing on the way your team works. This is where the agile method can really help. Designed to improve technical practices and project management, agile frameworks ensure a website project is finished on time and to the highest possible standard.
A design system isnât just a one-off website project, itâs for life. A design system brings all of the visual and functional elements of an organization into one place, ensuring that every element of design, realization and development fulfills its brand principles. On a practical level, it also helps teams focus on the bigger picture rather than waste valuable time of frequently repeated design questions.
Every team needs a mover and shaker. This is the person who inspires, leads, and gets things done. Without a prime mover at the helm, a website project risks being slowed down by inefficient decision making and a lack of vision. Before you start a new project, designate somebody in a good architectural roleâwho can make technical and design decisionsâto be your prime mover.
If a website project isnât aligned with a wide corporate strategy, itâs going to meet opposition on every corner. A well-mapped strategy is essential to keep the project on track and ensure itâs contributing to your organizationâs goals.
This is how you translate technology into business value »
It can be tempting to blame all your problems on your CMS, but look a little deeper and you might well find that something else is slowing down the progress of your project. From designating a prime mover to streamlining your workflow, thereâs so much you and your team can do to eliminate pressure points and supercharge productivityâall without getting too technical.
First published 23 July 2019, updated 10 November 2022.
Get some more insights đ€