Hospital website development projects can be complex and risky, for there are huge costs involved.
One study report revealed that hospitals in the U.S. spend an enormous amount of money every year on software development projects which include website development projects as well. Many of them often fail, with some even failing to get off the ground. The reasons attributed were many, from poor planning to cancellation before completion because of poor execution.
The importance of a website for a hospital can be estimated from the fact that a great majority of patients today look up a hospital website before going to meet their doctor. Hence, it’s critical that the website must not only function effectively but also must provide accurate and authentic information. There is no room for slow internet speed sudden site malfunctioning or content errors (even little details like hospital directions or contact information, matter a lot).
Reasons Why They Fail?
There may be many reasons as to why hospital website development projects fail, but there are some that also cause other reasons leading to the failure of a website development project.
They include:
Erroneous Assumptions
A feasibility study is generally conducted before any project is undertaken. Likewise, it is the same with website development projects, on whether it will be viable and can assure positive returns in the long run.
In most cases, the reports are over-positive, with over-expectations of positive returns on capital invested in the project. What happens later is in some cases, the feasibility reports ultimately prove to be unfeasible. Website development companies are too eager to provide a positive study report for they know that hospitals are cash cows and if they succeed in grabbing the project, they succeed in making a sizeable amount of money.
Lack of Proper Definition of Project Scope
Too often, hospital website development projects have failed because there is no proper understanding of its real scope, how it’s going to work; what will happen under different scenarios, if it does not click; and how it will affect the working process of the hospital.
Most clients believe that they know what they want and are sure to get it but the reality is that they are left clueless when confronted with the ramifications when it fails to work. To avoid falling into such a scenario, it is important to plan well, conduct a detailed planning exercise, be thorough with the project scope, and above all, always listen to the client’s needs.
Lack of Proper Leadership
Poor and weak leadership and lack of stakeholder involvement, have in many cases, led to the failure of website development projects, even before they could get off the ground.
A team handling the website development project needs strong and focus-driven leadership. Lack of it causes the projects to drift in the wrong direction, as a result of which it will end up left clueless, with no proper clarity of purpose and direction.
Likewise, hospital website development projects need backing and support from the hospital management, if they are keen on a website that meets the hospital’s objectives and increases its ROI. When key decisions are made, their involvement is essential. In case, that’s not there, problems can arise. For instance, when the beta version of the website is launched on a test and trial basis, the hospital management finds it is not exactly of the kind they want.
Changes, if any, to the website can be costly in terms of time and money, if done at the end of the project lifecycle. On the other hand, if there is proper team leadership and active involvement of hospital management at the same time, then the project can work smoothly, with flaws rectified when they arise, then and there.
Web Design Changes
There have been cases wherein hospital websites have included design and details about aspects that never exist in reality but only exist on paper. For instance, there is a case of a hospital website that included details about clinical locations and departments that never existed but were only a plan-in-progress that never materialized eventually. This was included despite a design review taking place with other changes, done and implemented. What happens in such cases, is that changes need to be made to the design and details section, which can be costly and time-consuming. In most cases, they often lead to the failure of the website development project as a whole.
Then there are cases wherein regulations and reviews of service delivery keep evolving from time to time. When they occur, the hospital website will need to incorporate the latest changes and be kept updated. But this is to be expected, and changes can be made as and when required. So the damage is limited and containable.
Lack of Proper Communication
Poor communication flow has often been the bane of many projects, and so too they have been with hospital website development projects. What is astonishing is that they keep happening even with modern communication tools around.
They can happen within a team setup or between the website development team and the hospital management. This raises the question – how the project is being managed? And how much information is being deciphered down the ranks within the website development team or between the development team and the hospital management? Improper communication results in a lack of cohesiveness and without that, mixed signals will be sent across which can prove to be detrimental to the working of the website development project and expensive in terms of time and money.
Two other reasons have often not been highlighted properly. One is the specification of the details of the deliverables like the computer system features, hardware specifications, and in some cases, user interface, all of which have led to an increased number of changes during the website development project lifecycle. The other one is the failure to identify the risks associated with incompatibility with existing systems, data integration, and data inconsistency.
Due to the failure to identify the complexity of the hospital system and the integration requirements of the system, the website development project team has to spend more time and money to resolve the issues, leading to enormous delays and eventually, a rise in costs during the execution phase.
This is Why You Need MediBrandox
When you see the number of hospital website development failures, you need to ask who can handle my website development project properly and prevent it from falling midway.
The answer for this is MediBrandox, a top-notch healthcare digital marketing and website design/development company in India, based out of Gurgaon, for healthcare.
MediBrandox has successfully handled website development projects for medical firms and practitioners including hospitals, diagnostic centers, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, nursing homes, physicians, dentists, and other healthcare organizations, thereby helping them find and engage new clients or patients for their business.
Likewise, your hospital can rely on MediBrandox professional website development services to successfully handle your website development project, and also create a website that will project your hospital profile powerfully, and leave a strong impact on your visitors for you to convert them into potential clients or patients.