Recently our firm was asked to bid on a project for a potential client. The client wanted a highly custom E-Commerce engine with heavy social networking components such that the project demanded a custom solution.

We presented our solution to the client, but unfortunately we were not able to meet their budget and were told by the client that while our proposal offered everything they were looking for in their project, they were going to move forward with a different firm. It was a peaceful parting as we fully understood their position. We wished them luck and success with their project and moved on.

Unfortunately, the client has returned to us. The selected firm was not able to complete the project due to the project’s complexity. It was simply over their heads.

The client invited MWD to preform a review of the code base in order to determine if we are willing to take over the project. The following is the story of our findings. It is a story of a developers responsibility to the client. It is also a story of tragedy.

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Planning any large project, and by large I’m speaking of projects that last 3-8 Months, is often viewed by many as a shot in the dark. Nearly two-thirds of projects significantly overrun their cost estimates and the average project exceeds it’s schedule by 100%.

Any project with one hundred plus features, or one which dives into unknown territory, is going to produce obstacles which will threaten the plan. Clashing features, unknown API’s, growing database complexity, or a lack of understanding of the complexity of a feature will all push out the project’s time line and jeopardize the schedule.

However, with a story based planning and development strategy it is possible to see these risks coming and plan accordingly with very little overhead.

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