I gave a talk in May 2025 on the same five things I keep coming back to on every project. Here’s the short version.
Before the tips, the numbers that started the talk: 70% of projects fail from a lack of proper planning. 45% of poorly managed web projects go over budget. 63% miss their deadline. None of that’s a surprise once you’ve been in a few. Here’s what actually helps.
1. Don’t rush in
Everyone’s excited to start. That’s the problem. Take the time to actually get to know the client and the project before you touch anything. Don’t assume you’ve understood the brief just because it sounds familiar. And watch for the moment where everyone’s enthusiasm becomes the thing pushing you to skip the bit where you properly listen.
2. Write your Dungeon Master’s Guide
Write up what you learned in step one. Detail what you’re actually going to do. Get everyone to sign it off. Not because paperwork is fun, but because a shared document is the only thing standing between “I thought we agreed” and an actual disagreement three weeks later.
3. Reuse and recycle
If you build websites, some things turn up on every single one. Build yourself a toolbox – code snippets, patterns, whatever you keep rebuilding from scratch for no good reason. If you’re the PM rather than the developer, build your own version: a toolkit of process you take from project to project instead of reinventing it every time.
4. Have a content plan
A site is only as good as its content, and every one of those lovely fresh pages needs actual text and images to go in it. Plan for that early. Share the plan with the stakeholders, not just the team. Set proper deadlines for it – content has a habit of being the thing that’s “nearly ready” for six weeks straight.
5. Communication, communication, communication
Regular, transparent updates with the client. Daily standups and shared problem-solving with the team. When something’s properly going wrong, communication is usually the thing that gets you through it, not a clever fix. And even if you’re working alone, check in with yourself about what you’re actually trying to achieve today.
Put it together and it’s not complicated: clear communication, an organised and shared content plan, a toolkit you’re not rebuilding every time, and documentation that means nobody’s relying on memory. That’s most of what smooth delivery and a happy client actually come down to.