Early warnings that a project is drifting, and what to do about each one before it becomes expensive.
Projects rarely fail suddenly. They drift, and the signals appear weeks before anyone says the word 'problem'. Here are the ones worth acting on early.
1. You have not seen anything working
Weeks have passed and you have seen mockups but nothing you can click. Ask for a staging link today. If there is a reason one cannot exist, that reason is the actual problem.
2. Questions get vague answers
You ask when something will be finished and hear 'soon' or 'nearly there' repeatedly. Ask for a specific date instead, and if the date moves, ask what changed. A studio in control of its work can answer both.
3. Scope has grown and nobody mentioned cost
You have added several things and nobody has raised a variation. This feels generous but usually means a large invoice later, or corners being cut silently to absorb the work. Ask for the cost of each change as it happens.
4. Your main contact keeps changing
Staff turnover happens, but repeated handovers mean context is being lost, and lost context reappears as work done wrong. Ask who owns your project and what happens if they leave.
5. You are being told what you cannot have, without alternatives
'That is not possible' is occasionally true. More often it means it is not possible within the quoted budget, which is a different statement. Ask what it would take, and decide yourself whether it is worth it.
What to do
- Put your concerns in writing, calmly and specifically.
- Ask for a revised plan with dates.
- Confirm you can access the code and accounts right now.
- Agree a checkpoint two weeks out, and decide then.
Most drifting projects recover once someone names the problem plainly. The ones that do not are worth exiting early, which is far easier if you already have access to everything you have paid for.