By Brian Christie
The timeline wasn’t wrong, the scope was
Almost every web project that runs late runs late for the same reason. The original scope was “build a website,” and somewhere between kickoff and delivery, it quietly became “build a website, plus write all the copy, plus source all the photos, plus redesign the logo, plus integrate with two systems nobody mentioned during the quote.”
What actually takes the time
1. Content. Waiting on copy from the client is the single most common delay. The design is done, the build is done, and the site sits in limbo for three weeks waiting on the About page text.
2. Feedback rounds. “I’ll get back to you this week” turns into three weeks. Every round that slips pushes the launch.
3. Scope additions. “While you’re in there, can you also…” is the sentence that kills timelines.
4. Integrations nobody scoped. Connecting to a CRM, a booking system, a payment processor, these are real engineering work, not a quick plug-in.
How to keep it on track
Have your content ready before the build starts, not during. Respond to feedback within 48 hours, not “when you get a chance.” And scope the integrations upfront, because discovering them mid-build is how budgets double.
Want a web project that actually finishes on time? That’s how our web design service runs every build.
