May 27 2010
I've been working with a client on a consulting basis. My focus has been basic layout for his website to improve his site's usability, navigability and general organization. It's been challenging for many reasons but one recurring issue is his chosen CMS (content management system).
I won't go into which one it is or whether it's a good choice, etc., because it just doesn't matter.
The issues that keep coming up all relate to the CMS not being able to do what he wants it to do. It's not entirely the software's fault though. Now, I'll be the first to point out that any good developer would be able to overcome these issues, especially if said developer has specific expertise in the chosen CMS platform. Granted, that often comes with a decent price tag, which in my opinion, is worth spending more often than not. After all, one doesn't become an expert and stick to amateur/beginner level rates. Or at least that shouldn't be the case. But I digress.
In this particular case, my client is being very stubborn. Despite my repeated advice to either find a good, professional developer specializing in his CMS (and paying their rates) or to switch to a more flexible CMS, he insists on sticking it out. I can sort of see why – he's put a lot of time, effort and money into it. But for whatever reason, the fact that he's gone through no fewer than 3 developers doesn't seem to rais any flags for him. Neither does the fact that several weeks have passed with little to no progress.
In my view, that's just unacceptable.
What's more, this client continues to literally struggle with his software. Part of it, I think, is that he knows just enough "web lingo" and basic HTML to take stabs at whatever issue is plaguing the site on any given day. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself – he's certainly not the first to want to tinker with website code. But that's really very minor. The main issue, I believe, is that for whatever reason, he insists that his chosen CMS is the best option for him and his site. In essence, he's got blinders on despite having a web consultant advising him on what could work better.
Now, my point here isn't to air a client's woes or to paint them in a negative light – far from it. Instead, my point is to highlight one thing: If your CMS software is constantly working against you and costing you more time and money with little to no results or progress, it's probably time to move on.
In other words, the software your site runs on should make things easier, not more difficult. Going through more than 2 or 3 developers should set off a bunch of alarms. My feeling is that this client was at some point convinced that his CMS software is the only way to go (especially since it's open source / free). Throw in a possibility of fear of trying something new after considerable amount of time spent in it and possible budgetary constraints, he is extremely reluctant to change. And that's too bad. He could have his site live and refreshed if only he'd let go and become CMS agnostic so that he can concentrate on what matters most: his business.
*Despite these CMS-specific issues, our work together has gone well and we've moved forward in other areas. :)