Project Success
Why Most Digital Projects Fail Before a Line of Code Is Written
The biggest threat to your digital project is not bad code. It is the gap between what your business needs and what your development team builds. Here is how to bridge that gap and set your project up for success from day one.
AI Marketing Assistant
Here is a fact that might surprise you: most digital projects do not fail because of bad code. They fail because of bad communication.
Before a developer writes a single line of code, the seeds of failure have already been planted. Unclear goals. Mismatched expectations. A brief that says one thing but means another. These problems are invisible at the start, but they grow bigger with every passing week.
The good news? These problems are easy to fix if you catch them early. Let us look at why projects go wrong and how you can make sure yours does not.
The Communication Gap That Kills Projects
Think about the last time you explained something technical to someone who was not technical. It is hard, right? Now imagine doing that in reverse. A business owner trying to explain what they need to a development team.
This is where most projects start to go wrong.
Business people think in outcomes. They want more sales, happier customers, faster processes. Developers think in systems. They want clear logic, defined inputs, and predictable outputs.
Neither is wrong. But when these two ways of thinking do not connect, you end up with a product that works perfectly but solves the wrong problem.
At Original Objective, we have seen this happen time and again. A client asks for a customer portal. The developers build exactly what was asked for. But the client really needed a way to reduce support tickets. The portal looks great but does not actually help.
What Makes a Good Brief?
A good brief is not a list of features. It is a story about problems.
Start with why. Why do you need this project? What problem are you trying to solve? What happens if you do not solve it?
Then move to who. Who will use this? What do they care about? What frustrates them right now?
Only then should you talk about what. And even then, focus on outcomes rather than features. Instead of saying "we need a dashboard", say "we need our sales team to see their targets and progress at a glance".
Here is a simple template that works:
The problem: What is not working today?
The impact: How much is this costing you in time, money, or opportunity?
The users: Who experiences this problem?
The success measure: How will you know when it is fixed?
A brief like this gives developers the context they need to make smart decisions. And it keeps everyone focused on what actually matters.
Why Assumptions Are Dangerous
Every project is built on assumptions. The danger is when those assumptions stay hidden.
Business teams assume developers understand the industry. Developers assume business teams understand technical limits. Everyone assumes the deadline is realistic. Nobody checks.
The fix is simple but uncomfortable: ask stupid questions.
When a developer says "that is not possible", ask why. You might find it is actually possible, just expensive. Or there might be a simpler solution that works just as well.
When a business stakeholder says "we need this feature", ask what problem it solves. You might find the real need can be met in a much simpler way.
Our AI solutions work is a perfect example. Clients often come to us asking for chatbots. But when we dig deeper, what they really need is faster response times for customer queries. Sometimes a chatbot is the answer. Sometimes it is a better FAQ page. Sometimes it is automated email responses. You only find out by questioning assumptions.
The Scope Creep Problem
Scope creep is when projects grow beyond their original plan. A few extra features here. A small change there. Before you know it, you are six months behind schedule and way over budget.
Scope creep is not caused by greed or poor planning. It is caused by learning. As you build something, you understand it better. You see new opportunities. You spot gaps you missed before.
This is actually healthy. The problem is when learning leads to changes without anyone adjusting the timeline or budget.
The solution is to build in checkpoints. Regular moments where you stop, review what you have learned, and decide what to do about it. Keep the original scope? Expand it with more time and money? Cut something else to make room?
These decisions should be made together, with business and technical people in the same room (or video call). No surprises. No blame. Just honest conversations about trade-offs.
How to Brief a Development Team Effectively
After years of building bespoke software for businesses, here is what we have learned about effective briefing:
1. Show, do not just tell
Walk developers through your current process. Show them the spreadsheets, the manual steps, the workarounds. Let them see the mess. This is worth more than any written document.
2. Bring in the actual users
Do not just describe what users need. Bring them into the conversation. Let developers ask questions directly. You will be amazed at what comes out of these sessions.
3. Share your constraints
Budget, timeline, existing systems, company politics. Developers can work around almost anything if they know about it upfront. Surprises later are much more expensive.
4. Define done
What does success look like? Be specific. "Users can complete a purchase in under 60 seconds" is better than "a fast checkout experience". Numbers give everyone a clear target.
5. Stay involved
The brief is just the beginning. Good projects need ongoing conversation. Weekly check-ins. Quick decisions when questions come up. The more available you are, the better the result.
Building the Right Team Dynamic
The best projects feel like a partnership, not a transaction. Business and technical people working together toward a shared goal.
This means breaking down the "us and them" mentality. Developers are not just there to follow orders. They are problem-solvers who can spot opportunities you might miss. Give them the context to contribute fully.
It also means being honest about what you do not know. Saying "I am not sure what we need here" is far better than pretending to have all the answers. A good development team will help you figure it out.
Our approach at Original Objective is to become part of your team for the duration of the project. We want to understand your business as well as you do. That way, we can make decisions that truly serve your goals, not just tick boxes on a requirements document.
When Things Go Wrong
Even with the best preparation, things will go wrong. Features will not work as expected. Deadlines will slip. Someone will change their mind about something important.
The difference between successful and failed projects is not whether problems occur. It is how quickly they are spotted and how openly they are discussed.
Create a culture where raising concerns is rewarded, not punished. The developer who says "I think we are building the wrong thing" early on is saving you time and money. The one who stays quiet and delivers the wrong thing is not.
Regular demos help enormously. Seeing working software every couple of weeks lets everyone spot problems early. It is much easier to change direction when you have only invested a fortnight of work, not six months.
The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong
Failed projects are expensive. Not just in money, but in time, morale, and opportunity.
The money is obvious. Budgets blown. Invoices piling up. Nothing to show for it.
The time is harder to see but often more damaging. Months or years spent on something that does not work. Competitors moving ahead while you are stuck.
The morale cost is real too. Teams become cynical about new projects. Good people leave. The next project starts with everyone expecting failure.
And the opportunity cost? That is the killer. While you were building the wrong thing, what could you have built instead? What customers did you lose? What market did you miss?
Getting It Right From Day One
Here is the bottom line: most project failures are preventable. Not through better technology or smarter developers, but through better communication.
Start with clear problems, not solutions. Question every assumption. Keep talking throughout the project, not just at the beginning. Treat developers as partners, not vendors.
Do these things and you dramatically increase your chances of success. Ignore them and you are playing a lottery where most tickets lose.
If you are planning a digital project and want to start on the right foot, get in touch with our team. We will help you create a brief that sets everyone up for success. No jargon. No hidden agendas. Just honest conversation about what you need and how to get there.
Because the best code in the world cannot fix a project that was broken before it started.
AI Marketing Assistant
Here is a fact that might surprise you: most digital projects do not fail because of bad code. They fail because of bad communication.
Before a developer writes a single line of code, the seeds of failure have already been planted. Unclear goals. Mismatched expectations. A brief that says one thing but means another. These problems are invisible at the start, but they grow bigger with every passing week.
The good news? These problems are easy to fix if you catch them early. Let us look at why projects go wrong and how you can make sure yours does not.
The Communication Gap That Kills Projects
Think about the last time you explained something technical to someone who was not technical. It is hard, right? Now imagine doing that in reverse. A business owner trying to explain what they need to a development team.
This is where most projects start to go wrong.
Business people think in outcomes. They want more sales, happier customers, faster processes. Developers think in systems. They want clear logic, defined inputs, and predictable outputs.
Neither is wrong. But when these two ways of thinking do not connect, you end up with a product that works perfectly but solves the wrong problem.
At Original Objective, we have seen this happen time and again. A client asks for a customer portal. The developers build exactly what was asked for. But the client really needed a way to reduce support tickets. The portal looks great but does not actually help.
What Makes a Good Brief?
A good brief is not a list of features. It is a story about problems.
Start with why. Why do you need this project? What problem are you trying to solve? What happens if you do not solve it?
Then move to who. Who will use this? What do they care about? What frustrates them right now?
Only then should you talk about what. And even then, focus on outcomes rather than features. Instead of saying "we need a dashboard", say "we need our sales team to see their targets and progress at a glance".
Here is a simple template that works:
The problem: What is not working today?
The impact: How much is this costing you in time, money, or opportunity?
The users: Who experiences this problem?
The success measure: How will you know when it is fixed?
A brief like this gives developers the context they need to make smart decisions. And it keeps everyone focused on what actually matters.
Why Assumptions Are Dangerous
Every project is built on assumptions. The danger is when those assumptions stay hidden.
Business teams assume developers understand the industry. Developers assume business teams understand technical limits. Everyone assumes the deadline is realistic. Nobody checks.
The fix is simple but uncomfortable: ask stupid questions.
When a developer says "that is not possible", ask why. You might find it is actually possible, just expensive. Or there might be a simpler solution that works just as well.
When a business stakeholder says "we need this feature", ask what problem it solves. You might find the real need can be met in a much simpler way.
Our AI solutions work is a perfect example. Clients often come to us asking for chatbots. But when we dig deeper, what they really need is faster response times for customer queries. Sometimes a chatbot is the answer. Sometimes it is a better FAQ page. Sometimes it is automated email responses. You only find out by questioning assumptions.
The Scope Creep Problem
Scope creep is when projects grow beyond their original plan. A few extra features here. A small change there. Before you know it, you are six months behind schedule and way over budget.
Scope creep is not caused by greed or poor planning. It is caused by learning. As you build something, you understand it better. You see new opportunities. You spot gaps you missed before.
This is actually healthy. The problem is when learning leads to changes without anyone adjusting the timeline or budget.
The solution is to build in checkpoints. Regular moments where you stop, review what you have learned, and decide what to do about it. Keep the original scope? Expand it with more time and money? Cut something else to make room?
These decisions should be made together, with business and technical people in the same room (or video call). No surprises. No blame. Just honest conversations about trade-offs.
How to Brief a Development Team Effectively
After years of building bespoke software for businesses, here is what we have learned about effective briefing:
1. Show, do not just tell
Walk developers through your current process. Show them the spreadsheets, the manual steps, the workarounds. Let them see the mess. This is worth more than any written document.
2. Bring in the actual users
Do not just describe what users need. Bring them into the conversation. Let developers ask questions directly. You will be amazed at what comes out of these sessions.
3. Share your constraints
Budget, timeline, existing systems, company politics. Developers can work around almost anything if they know about it upfront. Surprises later are much more expensive.
4. Define done
What does success look like? Be specific. "Users can complete a purchase in under 60 seconds" is better than "a fast checkout experience". Numbers give everyone a clear target.
5. Stay involved
The brief is just the beginning. Good projects need ongoing conversation. Weekly check-ins. Quick decisions when questions come up. The more available you are, the better the result.
Building the Right Team Dynamic
The best projects feel like a partnership, not a transaction. Business and technical people working together toward a shared goal.
This means breaking down the "us and them" mentality. Developers are not just there to follow orders. They are problem-solvers who can spot opportunities you might miss. Give them the context to contribute fully.
It also means being honest about what you do not know. Saying "I am not sure what we need here" is far better than pretending to have all the answers. A good development team will help you figure it out.
Our approach at Original Objective is to become part of your team for the duration of the project. We want to understand your business as well as you do. That way, we can make decisions that truly serve your goals, not just tick boxes on a requirements document.
When Things Go Wrong
Even with the best preparation, things will go wrong. Features will not work as expected. Deadlines will slip. Someone will change their mind about something important.
The difference between successful and failed projects is not whether problems occur. It is how quickly they are spotted and how openly they are discussed.
Create a culture where raising concerns is rewarded, not punished. The developer who says "I think we are building the wrong thing" early on is saving you time and money. The one who stays quiet and delivers the wrong thing is not.
Regular demos help enormously. Seeing working software every couple of weeks lets everyone spot problems early. It is much easier to change direction when you have only invested a fortnight of work, not six months.
The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong
Failed projects are expensive. Not just in money, but in time, morale, and opportunity.
The money is obvious. Budgets blown. Invoices piling up. Nothing to show for it.
The time is harder to see but often more damaging. Months or years spent on something that does not work. Competitors moving ahead while you are stuck.
The morale cost is real too. Teams become cynical about new projects. Good people leave. The next project starts with everyone expecting failure.
And the opportunity cost? That is the killer. While you were building the wrong thing, what could you have built instead? What customers did you lose? What market did you miss?
Getting It Right From Day One
Here is the bottom line: most project failures are preventable. Not through better technology or smarter developers, but through better communication.
Start with clear problems, not solutions. Question every assumption. Keep talking throughout the project, not just at the beginning. Treat developers as partners, not vendors.
Do these things and you dramatically increase your chances of success. Ignore them and you are playing a lottery where most tickets lose.
If you are planning a digital project and want to start on the right foot, get in touch with our team. We will help you create a brief that sets everyone up for success. No jargon. No hidden agendas. Just honest conversation about what you need and how to get there.
Because the best code in the world cannot fix a project that was broken before it started.
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