This document discusses 9 types of people that can negatively impact a website project. These include the double agent who prioritizes their own agenda, the time keeper who focuses on deadlines over quality, people from unrelated departments who try to get involved, a stickler who obsesses over minor details to avoid decisions, a new manager who disrupts progress by changing priorities, a boss too busy to provide needed input, an agency that disappears without providing proper support, an agency that hoards website access instead of transferring control, and a freelancer who promises more than they can reasonably deliver for an unrealistic low price.

1. The 9 people who
will sink your
website project

2. The Double Agent
This person has their own
agenda when it comes to
the website, prioritizing
what's best for them
instead of the company or
customer.
When the Director of
Content opposes building
a resources hub, are they
thinking about how it
would help SEO or how it
would add more work to
their plate?

3. The Time Keeper
This is the person who
cares more about hitting
the deadline than having a
good website. They're also
probably responsible for
rushing the very website
you're replacing.
Who cares about
perfection as long as
you're punctual. Right?

4. The…Wait, Who
is That?
This is a design meeting —
why is Karen from HR talking?
This person uses the website
project as an opportunity to
showcase their "hidden
skills". While they're great at
what they do, what they do
has nothing to do with the
website.
Stay in your lane, Karen!

5. The Stickler
This is the person who
thinks the blue button in
the footer of the Privacy
Policy page is a tad too
blue. They use attention to
detail as a way to cover up
their launch anxiety.
You can't make the wrong
decision if you refuse to
make any decisions!

6. The New Sheriff
in Town
This is the person with the big
title that crashes the project
midway through. They need
to be brought up to speed,
so you waste time rehashing
decisions and problems
you've already solved.
They make everyone adapt to
their style of work, destroying
the momentum you'd been
building since day 1.

7. The Boss
This person is the only one
who can sign off on decisions.
They're also the only one
who's too busy to be involved
in the project. See the
problem that creates?
The boss needs to give up
some power or make time for
the project. Otherwise,
nothing moves forward.

8. The Ghoster
This is the agency that
passes off a website and
completely disappears.
There's no wrap-up meeting,
there's no onboarding,
there's no support.
There isn't even a company
with that name and their
office address leads you to a
foreclosed laundromat...

9. The Hoarder
This is the agency that
doesn't even give you
backend access to your own
website. They hoard logins
and hosting information so
you need to rely on them to
make changes you're fully
capable of making.
It was supposed to be your
website, not theirs.

10. The One-Man
Band
This is the freelancer you
find online who promises
you a full website in 3 weeks
for $600. They seem like a
great deal, but even Clark
Kent can't follow through on
that promise.
Any rare unicorn that is good
at marketing, design, and
development is going to cost
you a lot more time and
money.