If you have worked in the industry for a while, you are bound to have come across a few failed web projects led by digital agencies. To be fair, it doesn’t always turn out this way, but failed projects are not rare. So, what should you know before you get started?
In the past this blog has mainly covered system integrators, which tend to mostly offer technical work and some project management assistance. Agencies, on the other hand, offer services for strategic, creative and technical development of online offerings, which can include graphic design, SEO, CMS implementation and much more. In our community of practice some of the most commonly used agencies are Advice Digital, Creuna, LBi, Reading Room and Valtech. All consider themselves industry thought-leaders various ways – rightly or wrongly.
Here’s how you get the most out of working with an agency:
- You may only hear of the miserable failures, but the agencies would not have grown and remained in the marketplace had they merely produced failures. Talk to references.
- There are very few established best practices. Agencies themselves don’t agree on much and if you ask them to do a project, they will each propose very different solutions with significant differences in their methodologies. In general you should never tell an agency how you want things done, but rather focus on what you want. When dealing with agencies, be open to some alternative solutions and make sure to communicate regularly with the agency, even though it takes time.
- You will need good project management at your end, even though agencies would gladly sell that service to you. Without good project management on your side of the table, how would you control the direction and avoid risk and unpleasant surprises?
- An important factor is your relationship with the agency team — and not necessarily impressive resumes. Almost every agency has some very smart people working for them.
- You will not become a key account unless you continually buy many different services (e.g. creative work, strategic work and technical work). Even big spenders that only buy creative work, or only buy technical work, will not be treated as a key account.
- Most agencies have a handful of customers that make up the vast majority of their revenue. Some of the biggest agencies have individual customers that make up more than 20 % of their revenue. This means that if a very big customer leaves, you might be able to get some fresh talent onto your agency team, but the agency might actually be in big trouble.
For some good writing from the agency perspective, I encourage you to take a look at Full Service Digital Agencies For Dummies by Jon Marks at LBi or The Digital Agency Blog by Neil Potter at Redweb.
There are no safe choices, even among the largest agencies. Do you have any additional truths to share?
John Goode July 10th, 2009 13:33
Different requirements, different customers with different operations all require different treatment. Some are technology oriented projects, others are creatively led. That said, there are key disciplines and infrastructure that should exist in your chosen agency: structured development teams, a TDA (Architect etc), proper development tools, a test team, a development methodology (I like Agile/SCRUM). On the design side, UX teams have become core to delivering interfaces that do more than massage the ego of the CMO.
These days, many agencies claim to be ~Full Service~ Agencies. A term that’s about as useful as Web 2.0.
Be wise, follow through on references — particularly with company profile/project profile that’s similar to your own.
Simon Kaastrup-Olsen July 20th, 2009 13:33
There is definitely some truth to the fact that customers will not be treated as key accounts if they only focus on either the creative and strategic consultancy, or focus on the technical and project management consulting. I am the emarketing manager of a site which actually had one of the above mentioned companies using a agile/SCRUM (although SCRUM was never mentioned other than by its name, but no methodological application).
We actually bought the full service package (prior to my employment) and I can’t say that we have been at all content by the treatment we have received. The ideas and creative think-work is excellent, but the technical implementation and especially the speed of it, has been less than impressive… We talked about one thing, we heard the same from them, and ended up an entirely different place. I am biased but I am pretty sure that both their (the consultancy company’s) project lead and UI expert will agree that the site is far from the initial concept. In the end we ended up getting billing after billing for things that took far more time than what was reasonable and a very aggressive sales manager which it seemed was his only role – to bleed us dry. Our contract was supposedly a SKI contract, but to my horror it was heavily modified and lacked essential parts!
So my only recommendation can be this: When you hear the word “agile” make sure you have a concept which is defined properly in the contract, and make sure that lawers with proper understanding of it-contracts have read through the agreement. When you say agile, you also say yes to not having a requirements specification, which for all intents and purposes, could be left out. Because you loose valuable time defining it and ending up a completely different place. But make sure that the project that you are doing is properly defined and is well documented.
Also make sure that the development sprints used for development have a clear path and customer accept. Have and understanding of what is to be delivered before the next sprint, and make sure that they don’t proceed before you have completed and accepted the deleveries of sprint 1. If you get even the slightest whiff of uncertainty and that “time, and therefore functionality, is slipping, identify the costs this impact upon your concept – and pull out, take a time-out or readjust either concept, functionality or development hours.
I agree with John Goode that references are very important, but make sure that they have specific knowledge about what it is that you need have done! If you’re using a particular CMS as a platform for your e.g. community site, make sure that they have specific references for both that CMS and that specific community site. And when judging when to choose from, ask specific questions about CMS functionality to judge whether they have qualified answers to your questions. If not, run away!
For my part, we have decided to outsource the latter part of our development to Ukraine, as prices and the type functionality we need is now much more defined then previously. We don’t need the babysitting and expensive full-digital agency anymore.
Thank you for a very very relevant blog-topic.
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» Why IT should not run a CMS selection project - J. Boye » Blog July 31st, 2009 13:33
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