Part of my job is to take the vision of a client and translate it into a tangible website. In some cases it is an extension or an arm to their business (e-commerce website for an existing shop, enhancements to an existing website) in others it is the entire business.

When you’ve got your entire business, your future business, one that doesn’t exist yet but will exist as soon as I complete my work, in someone else’s hands – you’re going to be anxious. You’re going to do whatever you can to ensure that what you’ve planned is going to come out as you’ve planned it. I liken it to how one might feel when they’re building a house.

But would you tell your builder that you want rooms built without doors but with windows and fully expect them to listen and execute? Would you argue back and forth with said builder because you’ve watched a lot of TV shows or had a friend who built their own house?

When does your approval based process come back to bite you in the butt? At some point you’ve changed from an advisor and a partner in this project to a hired contractor.

And clients, how do you make what you want clear at the appropriate times? How do you know when to let go? My favorite posts on the blogs and forums I read are about the client / developer relationship.

I’ve put together these warning signs that somewhere along the way you’ve become a pair of hands. In some cases it can be right from the start of the project and small signs become glaring roadblocks once the project has started.

For those on the development side, how have you dealt with these types of clients? For the clients and those shopping for a web development or marketing company I think it’s important to understand what it is you are buying, and decide at some point to trust the company you are buying it from.

I’ve been there myself recently. In the beginning of the planning process for our wedding I became a nightmare client, a client that I would probably try to break up with. I know nothing about flowers but there I was drawing sketches to be followed. I had limited time to take away from work, but how hard could making a veil be, it’s a piece of fabric that will sit on my head right? I hired a coordinator and checked in with her constantly to make sure things were going the “right way”.

At some point I had to get a grip, concentrate on the big picture and let it go. Let the people I hired actually do their jobs. Trust that I did my research properly and focus on my responsibilities regarding the wedding. It was my wedding coordinator that finally gave it to me straight and let me know that I was risking sabotaging my own wedding. (That’s actually a lot more dramatic sounding than it was).

As a project manager (or the “coordinator” for the websites we build here), I’m glad I was able to take something away from that experience to apply to my work.

Here are some signs that you are no longer a contributor but are now a set of hands.

The client talks about how they helped build a website for their friend and things were done differently.

A little knowledge can be dangerous. After a few learning experiences, I’ve found that the best way to handle this type of thing is to find out exactly what was done on the previous project, what the role was, and then point out what the differences are between this project and the previous project. This will help the client to understand why things may not be going exactly as they did on the other site, and also allows the client to talk about their past experiences with the web.

The “do it yourselfer” who after a few layout revisions figures out how to use MS Paint and designs their own homepage.

Don’t get me wrong. If a client wants to design their layout then they should go for it (if they can provide the raw files and fonts). But it was included in the contract for a reason.

I’ve found that when a client is taking elements of the project into their own hands it is because there might be a problem with them expressing what modifications they would like to a graphic or logo. It’s helped me to push and try to have a deeper conversation with the client about what they are looking for.

Excessive use of the word “just”.

I always shudder when a client tells me they “just” want to make a certain change. To this client every thing you might do seems simple, and if they only had the time to read that book about web development they wouldn’t need you. This is the most challenging item on my list. What are some of your experiences with these types of clients? Clients, what have been your experiences with web development companies?

Number of questions you get asked, goes down in direct relation to the amount of commands you get.

At one point it was “What do you think about removing all content from the homepage and replacing it with a flash movie?” Now it’s “We’re going to remove all content from the homepage and replace it with a flash movie.” Now it’s up to you to determine whether or not the work is out of scope, how it will affect the overall timeframe, how it will affect the overall goals of the project, and since it was a command rather than a presented idea, the client has already made up their mind that this is a requirement.

Which leads me to the following:

An outside project manager is introduced to the account.

I find this always complicates things. The client is in the middle of the spec or design process and they get nervous about the decisions that have to be made. They hire someone; maybe it’s a friend, who has a website, to be the project manager on their side. You are told, “It’s just that I don’t have the time to focus on the project as much as I should” or “All this tech stuff is Greek to me. My friend here has a website so they will be able to give you what you need”.

This means that now the clients ideas are being communicated to an “expert” whose job it is to translate to us and the game of telephone gets bigger. In these cases I’ve found its best to require that the client be involved in all communications and calls with the new project manager.

In some cases it’s early enough to walk away when you see any of these issues cropping up. In other’s it can be too far into the project to walk away without at least trying to turn things around. What have you done in similar situations?

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