A typical eight-week build
| Weeks | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery, structure, sitemap agreed |
| 2–3 | Design of key templates, reviewed |
| 4–6 | Build, template by template |
| 6–7 | Content loaded, forms and tracking configured |
| 8 | Testing, redirects, launch |
Content is the delay
In our experience content is the cause of more overruns than every technical issue combined. Sites sit built and empty, waiting for copy that was promised in week three.
Agree who writes what, and when, before the project starts. If copywriting is not in scope, someone in your business needs the time booked.
The other three causes
- Feedback — a design review that takes two weeks pushes everything two weeks
- Access — hosting, domain and system credentials arriving late
- Scope — a booking system mentioned in week five
What we need and when
- Week 1: brand assets, existing content, access to everything
- Week 2–3: design feedback within three working days, consolidated
- Week 5–6: final content, or agreement to launch with placeholders
- Week 8: launch decision and someone available on the day
Protect the launch date
Two mechanisms work: consolidate feedback into one response rather than a trickle, and put anything new into a phase two list rather than absorbing it.
Both keep the project moving without losing the ideas.