Delivery
Why ecommerce projects fail before development starts
By DEQIO · October 2026 · 3 min read
In short
Most ecommerce overruns are decided before a line of code is written: in how the problem is framed, how suppliers are contracted and who owns the outcome. Fix those five early decisions and delivery gets much easier.
The numbers
Large IT projects run 45% over budget on average and deliver 56% less value than expected. About half of those overruns come from weak strategy and stakeholder management, not the technology (McKinsey).
In ecommerce the pattern is the same. When a replatform or major project goes wrong, the post-mortem usually points back to decisions made in the first few weeks.
Five early failures
■ Solving the wrong problem. “We need a new platform” is accepted as the brief when the real issue is ownership, process or the agency relationship.
■ Agreeing success criteria too late. If you choose a platform or agency before agreeing what good looks like, the loudest voice or the best demo wins.
■ No experienced client-side owner. The agency has done this many times; your team may have done it once. Without a senior client-side lead, decisions drift and risks go unowned.
■ A contract that rewards change. Loose scopes and weak change control turn every clarification into a paid change request.
■ Go-live criteria never defined. Without clear conditions for switching over, launch dates slip or, worse, you go live before you’re ready.
Get the Replatform Decision Checklist
The questions to answer before you commit six figures.
What good looks like
■ A one-sentence statement of the decision and the problem it solves, agreed by leadership.
■ Weighted criteria agreed before any supplier pitches.
■ A named client-side owner with the time and authority to lead.
■ A statement of work with clear acceptance, change control and support terms.
■ Go-live criteria written down at the start and reviewed at every steering meeting.
How the DEQIO Method helps
The DEQIO Method takes a decision from question to action in ten steps, with criteria agreed before options and every input graded on our Evidence Ladder. It makes these early failures visible while they are still cheap to fix. For projects already underway, Programme Assurance puts an experienced client-side lead on your side of the table.
About DEQIO
Independent ecommerce leadership with 20 years on both the client and supplier side. No platforms, no builds, no referral fees. About DEQIO →
Deciding what to do about your platform?
A vendor-neutral answer, from people who’ve done it on both sides.