It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The beginning of a project is exciting. You and your client have the chance to address long-standing issues that have plagued users for a long time. The client is tired of looking at the same design from years ago. A new site means new technology built to work with modern web teams. Everyone is eager to begin and create something great.
Over time, the relationship will change. As with any partnership, there’s a give and take, and a growing understanding of how each party works. Sometimes there can be frustration or even tension. It’s important to find a way to capture some of that early excitement for later when you’re working through the hard parts of the project. Make the goals apparent, and remember how each team is working towards the same outcome. As with a marathon, you don’t want to rush the start, because it will only make the rest harder. It’s important to establish an honest and strong relationship foundation, so when challenges inevitably come up, you have a solid understanding of the goals, personalities, and methods to keep everyone oriented and working together.
We’ve put together some tips we’ve learned from our 30+ years of experience working on large, multi-phased projects.
Building a Source of Truth
The team will make a lot of decisions early in a project. You and the client will discuss their issues, opportunities, and plans for how to address each one. Documenting these conversations and their outcomes helps align everyone as the project progresses. There will be times when someone will question why things are built a certain way. Clear and transparent documentation can assure people of the direction or serve as the basis for a conversation to assess if a different approach is needed.
The format of the project documentation will depend on the client and the project. Longer projects will require more documentation. Tools like decision logs, updated roadmaps, and an evolving project brief serve to document different aspects of the project. It’s not enough to just write things down. Review the document and pull it up to ensure everyone remembers it exists and knows when to add something to it. Once you’re months into a project, or even years, notes on past decisions can be invaluable for keeping people aligned and assessing new issues from the same vantage point.
Managing the “Yes, And” Culture
At some point, the scope of a project will be set. There will be things you can’t fit in for time or money reasons. You and the client will agree and move into the next phase. As the project moves on, though, the team will return to those cut items and ask, “Do you think we can fit this in?”
Scope creep is the tendency to try and add to the project in small ways that can result in a significant change over time. It can be a painful subject for all parties involved. Everyone may agree that a feature would be great, but the realities of time and money can make it difficult to accommodate at this time. You want to give the client the best product you can, but added scope can cut into budgets or force employees to crunch. The client has dedicated a lot of resources to their new site, and they feel like a few more features could make a huge change while they’re already redoing the site.
It’s important to establish a plan early on for when scope questions come up. Plant seeds at the start for how you will handle increased scope. Websites are fluid and change often. When you set the scope, make sure the team knows that things can always be added or modified after the initial site launch. Added scope can be an opportunity to talk about the future and next steps rather than a point of contention if you set the stage accordingly.
Building a Crisis-Proof Knowledge Base
The middle of a project is when you should hit your groove. Your teams are gelling, work is getting done, and everyone’s on the same page. It’s right when everything is clicking that the unexpected happens. Someone breaks their arm and can’t use a mouse anymore. A key contact gets a new job and moves on. A new project spins up and requires people to split time. Sometimes the change is as simple as bringing in help to make the project move faster.
When there is a change in staff, it’s crucial to have a plan for sharing the knowledge that has built up. When someone joins the team who wasn’t part of the discovery, consider:
- How are you going to make sure they’re in alignment with the project direction?
- How do you explain the design and UX decisions that are already in motion?
- What’s the plan for ramping up the new developer so that they can successfully transform the plans into a live website?
The decision history can be critical in getting people up to speed. A new point of view can be refreshing, but it can also lead to scope creep and rework if you don’t have a strong foundation and documentation to share what’s already been done and why.
Navigating the “Mid-Project Slump”
When you’ve been working on the same project for a long time, it’s normal to lose focus at times. At worst, it results in burnout that’s hard to come back from. An important thing to remember is that everyone on the project may be feeling the same way. If you are tired of the same steps and processes and tackling the same problems, it’s likely your colleagues and clients are feeling the same way.
Combat burnout by being willing to talk about it. Create an environment where you, your team, and your client feel comfortable bringing up challenges around fatigue. A conversation about the issue can help save everyone headache and time. If there’s something to be done about burnout, it may take the whole team to find the pain points and release the pressure to make the whole project experience smoother.
Celebrate “micro-wins”
The website launch is the goal. All of the hard work comes together and goes live to the public. Congratulations and excitement are shared. It’s a great feeling, but the launch happens once and then those feelings subside. During a long project, while you’re handling any number of tasks, it can be hard to see the end state. Instead of feeling excited, teams often hit a wall, struggling to maintain their momentum.
The project team needs the chance to stop and celebrate the small wins throughout the process. Maybe it’s the end of a phase, or an agreement on direction that was extra tough. Make sure to notice when an individual delivers excellent work. Think about the end goal and find ways to mark when you take meaningful steps towards the finish line.
The small wins can fight burnout, bring the team closer, and reiterate the common goals everyone is working towards. Long projects are as much about managing morale as they are getting the work done. For a successful long-term engagement, celebrate all of the progress together.
Plan for the Transition from Project to Support
Long-running projects can feel like they may never end, and it’s important to have a goal or endpoint to be working towards. The site will one day launch. The e-learning platform will go live. For longer engagements, the first launch or celebration may be just the beginning, a proof-of-concept that now needs to be expanded. Early conversations may have touched on the next steps, but surviving the whole project will require some planning and forethought before the first part is even complete.
Throughout the process, have an open conversation about what the next steps of the project might be. Maybe there are more sites to launch. Maybe there are scope or features that had to be cut back, but are still desired. Begin to build the picture of what a long-term relationship could look like. Once you hit that initial celebration, and the honeymoon phase starts to fade, you’ll want to have your plan for the next steps in hand and already be laying the foundation for how the relationship should evolve.
And it should evolve! Once you’ve hit that first milestone and mapped out the next step, begin discussing even farther out. What’s the five-year plan? How can you help prepare the team, the institution, and the product for the future?
Work Together
We’ve been fortunate to have multiple long-running relationships, some of which span over 10 years. In that time, our role has changed as the teams have evolved, the needs changed, and our working relationships expanded. It’s important to us to set every client up for success for the long haul, whether that includes regular meetings with us or just some advice when they call with a new idea or opportunity. It’s that foundational relationship that sets you up for long-term success.
Posted on February 23, 2026 by TJ Gunther in Commentary
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The beginning of a project is exciting. You and your client have the chance to address long-standing issues that have plagued users for a long time. The client is tired of looking at the same design from years ago. A new site means new technology built to work with modern web teams. Everyone is eager to begin and create something great.
Over time, the relationship will change. As with any partnership, there’s a give and take, and a growing understanding of how each party works. Sometimes there can be frustration or even tension. It’s important to find a way to capture some of that early excitement for later when you’re working through the hard parts of the project. Make the goals apparent, and remember how each team is working towards the same outcome. As with a marathon, you don’t want to rush the start, because it will only make the rest harder. It’s important to establish an honest and strong relationship foundation, so when challenges inevitably come up, you have a solid understanding of the goals, personalities, and methods to keep everyone oriented and working together.
We’ve put together some tips we’ve learned from our 30+ years of experience working on large, multi-phased projects.
Building a Source of Truth
The team will make a lot of decisions early in a project. You and the client will discuss their issues, opportunities, and plans for how to address each one. Documenting these conversations and their outcomes helps align everyone as the project progresses. There will be times when someone will question why things are built a certain way. Clear and transparent documentation can assure people of the direction or serve as the basis for a conversation to assess if a different approach is needed.
The format of the project documentation will depend on the client and the project. Longer projects will require more documentation. Tools like decision logs, updated roadmaps, and an evolving project brief serve to document different aspects of the project. It’s not enough to just write things down. Review the document and pull it up to ensure everyone remembers it exists and knows when to add something to it. Once you’re months into a project, or even years, notes on past decisions can be invaluable for keeping people aligned and assessing new issues from the same vantage point.
Managing the “Yes, And” Culture
At some point, the scope of a project will be set. There will be things you can’t fit in for time or money reasons. You and the client will agree and move into the next phase. As the project moves on, though, the team will return to those cut items and ask, “Do you think we can fit this in?”
Scope creep is the tendency to try and add to the project in small ways that can result in a significant change over time. It can be a painful subject for all parties involved. Everyone may agree that a feature would be great, but the realities of time and money can make it difficult to accommodate at this time. You want to give the client the best product you can, but added scope can cut into budgets or force employees to crunch. The client has dedicated a lot of resources to their new site, and they feel like a few more features could make a huge change while they’re already redoing the site.
It’s important to establish a plan early on for when scope questions come up. Plant seeds at the start for how you will handle increased scope. Websites are fluid and change often. When you set the scope, make sure the team knows that things can always be added or modified after the initial site launch. Added scope can be an opportunity to talk about the future and next steps rather than a point of contention if you set the stage accordingly.
Building a Crisis-Proof Knowledge Base
The middle of a project is when you should hit your groove. Your teams are gelling, work is getting done, and everyone’s on the same page. It’s right when everything is clicking that the unexpected happens. Someone breaks their arm and can’t use a mouse anymore. A key contact gets a new job and moves on. A new project spins up and requires people to split time. Sometimes the change is as simple as bringing in help to make the project move faster.
When there is a change in staff, it’s crucial to have a plan for sharing the knowledge that has built up. When someone joins the team who wasn’t part of the discovery, consider:
The decision history can be critical in getting people up to speed. A new point of view can be refreshing, but it can also lead to scope creep and rework if you don’t have a strong foundation and documentation to share what’s already been done and why.
Navigating the “Mid-Project Slump”
When you’ve been working on the same project for a long time, it’s normal to lose focus at times. At worst, it results in burnout that’s hard to come back from. An important thing to remember is that everyone on the project may be feeling the same way. If you are tired of the same steps and processes and tackling the same problems, it’s likely your colleagues and clients are feeling the same way.
Combat burnout by being willing to talk about it. Create an environment where you, your team, and your client feel comfortable bringing up challenges around fatigue. A conversation about the issue can help save everyone headache and time. If there’s something to be done about burnout, it may take the whole team to find the pain points and release the pressure to make the whole project experience smoother.
Celebrate “micro-wins”
The website launch is the goal. All of the hard work comes together and goes live to the public. Congratulations and excitement are shared. It’s a great feeling, but the launch happens once and then those feelings subside. During a long project, while you’re handling any number of tasks, it can be hard to see the end state. Instead of feeling excited, teams often hit a wall, struggling to maintain their momentum.
The project team needs the chance to stop and celebrate the small wins throughout the process. Maybe it’s the end of a phase, or an agreement on direction that was extra tough. Make sure to notice when an individual delivers excellent work. Think about the end goal and find ways to mark when you take meaningful steps towards the finish line.
The small wins can fight burnout, bring the team closer, and reiterate the common goals everyone is working towards. Long projects are as much about managing morale as they are getting the work done. For a successful long-term engagement, celebrate all of the progress together.
Plan for the Transition from Project to Support
Long-running projects can feel like they may never end, and it’s important to have a goal or endpoint to be working towards. The site will one day launch. The e-learning platform will go live. For longer engagements, the first launch or celebration may be just the beginning, a proof-of-concept that now needs to be expanded. Early conversations may have touched on the next steps, but surviving the whole project will require some planning and forethought before the first part is even complete.
Throughout the process, have an open conversation about what the next steps of the project might be. Maybe there are more sites to launch. Maybe there are scope or features that had to be cut back, but are still desired. Begin to build the picture of what a long-term relationship could look like. Once you hit that initial celebration, and the honeymoon phase starts to fade, you’ll want to have your plan for the next steps in hand and already be laying the foundation for how the relationship should evolve.
And it should evolve! Once you’ve hit that first milestone and mapped out the next step, begin discussing even farther out. What’s the five-year plan? How can you help prepare the team, the institution, and the product for the future?
Work Together
We’ve been fortunate to have multiple long-running relationships, some of which span over 10 years. In that time, our role has changed as the teams have evolved, the needs changed, and our working relationships expanded. It’s important to us to set every client up for success for the long haul, whether that includes regular meetings with us or just some advice when they call with a new idea or opportunity. It’s that foundational relationship that sets you up for long-term success.
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About TJ Gunther
TJ is a content strategist who has been at Digital Wave since 2012. He specializes in content process and provides Google Analytics consultation.