2022 is an exciting year for Provide IT, which means that we have been helping clients with sustainable, flexible and cost-effective web projectsfor almost over a decade. By being a strategic digital agency, we transform ideas into the right web-based solutions through proper preparation and experienced specialists. But what is really the secret ingredient to creating web projects that stay on schedule, budget and quality?To answer that, we chose to interview our CEO and co-founder. Simply put, it is enough to say that all successful projects have well-executed preparatory work. That is why we are keen to always carry out a feasibility study for all web projects that we undertake. But what does a feasibility study for a web project actually mean? Our CEO Bawan answers this and explains why proper preliminary work is the key to a successful web project.
What is a feasibility study?
A feasibility study is preparatory work for a web project, i.e. the design and development of a web solution that is launched at the end of the project. The result of the feasibility study determines the scope and schedule of the project. A well-conducted feasibility study significantly increases the risk of a successful web project.
Our feasibility study includes a detailed requirements specification with functional and non-functional requirements. Functional requirements describe in detail what a user can do in the web solution, while non-functional requirements describe the properties of the web solution. For example, performance, security and user-friendliness. In addition, we perform a technical analysis that ensures that the customer makes the right choice of web technology, based on sustainability, flexibility and cost.
Why are we so keen that a feasibility study should be a natural part of ordering a web project?
We are passionate about delivering good web and that means successful web projects. According to research, over 80 percent of web projects are delayed or more expensive than planned. And the biggest reason for this is a lack of preparatory work, i.e. incorrect feasibility study. If you want to reduce the risk of delays and keep to the planned budget, a correct feasibility study is necessary.
What is the difference between web projects that have conducted a feasibility study and those that have not conducted a feasibility study before starting the actual production?
In order to conduct a correct feasibility study, knowledge in requirements management and web technology is needed. Unfortunately, many companies choose to do this themselves, especially the requirements specification. Instead of a well-detailed requirements specification, it often ends up being a vague bulleted list without non-functional requirements.
If a web project starts based on the above requirements specification, there can be big problems. There will be different expectations between the project team and the client about what is included in the web solution which can leadto delays and discussions about the project budget. In the worst case, it can mean choosing the wrong web technology, resulting in low performance and flexibility. We know many companies that have had to scrap their web solution and start over.
Why do we want to inspire more web agencies to work with feasibility studies?
Provide IT is passionate about creating good web, and that requires successful web projects. We hear very often about failed web projects, and in almost all cases it is due to a lack of preliminary work. The culprit in this is, of course, suppliers such as web agencies and digital agencies. We need to inform companies about the importance of having a detailed requirements specification written correctly and a technical solution proposal that has been developed based on the evaluation criteria of sustainability, flexibility and cost.
What value does the result of a feasibility study provide to those who order web projects?
That the project team and the customer have the same expectations. There should therefore not be many question marks during the project and in this way the risk of delays and changes in the scope of the project is reduced.