City People Online was officially launched on the 19th September 2015 with the high expectation of delivering news on the go and keeping up with our digital demography; those who patronise our print and social media- active with our teeming social media communities on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (majorly).
Our intention to operate a reliable, uninterrupted and people-focused online platform necessitated our desperation to outsource a digital consultant whose pedigree in the industry has been tested and trusted to serve with diligence and tenacity that conforms to our vision.
Although, whether you’re a client using consultants services, or a consultant yourself, chances are your biggest fear, when entering into a contract is that the project will be a dismal failure and that you’ll end up with egg on your face. Certain eventualities were however not foreseen.
City People Online was however launched with the Uniform Resource Locator (URL ) www.citypeopleng.com.
The prospect was high and feedbacks were on point as regards analytics and ranking.
Let’s face it, that does happen from time to time, knowing what the causes of failure are as important in avoiding that situation and keeping your reputation intact, so here are the causes why citypeopleng.com could no longer fly.
- POOR REPORTING
Whether intentional or not, poor reporting to your client is a sure-fire way to end up with a disastrous result! It may not even be your fault. Often, when clients hire a consultant, they assume that they know what they are doing, and just let them “get on with things.”
If you hate report writing, consider this: if you don’t provide reports throughout the project, you may go wrong at the beginning, and, unknowing, base the rest of your project on that error. Result? Project failure.
It’s far better to bore clients to tears with exhaustive reporting and know that you are constantly communicating than to end up with a failed project.
Our consultant did not only fail to send a report of progress but also decided to shield the management from knowing what was going on with everything from adverts, earnings, content management and the routine maintenance of the site, for reasons best known to him. This caused the consistent shut down of the site without notice.
- INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION.
Often, a client will find qualified consultants, call for proposals, and select a consultant who on paper is an expert, and capable. They’ve checked that the consultants’ services match the profile of their requirements, and feel assured that they have someone who is experienced and an expert.
They then assume that the consultant “knows what they are doing” or are embarrassed for one or other reason to tell this expert their exact requirements, leading to the consultant basing their tackling of the project to assumptions. And we all know what they say about assumption right?
It’s better to double, or even triple check that you are one hundred percent clear on the requirements, and desired outcome before you even get started.
It turned out that our consultant had little or no professional knowledge of how to run a major news website like our but was also depending on other outsourced experts. By the time the relationship between both parties became strained, it saliently pulled back our website as the platform remained redundant for number months. Every effort to reach our core-consultant was abortive.
- CHANGE OF SCOPE
This one is a classic example of an indecisive consultant, but sometime or another, we will all encounter those.
In this scenario, the consultant provides a brief at the beginning of the project, on which you base your proposal. Before you start the project, you check again with the consultant with regards to the desired outcome, and then you get going, doing whatever it is that you do best.
Halfway through the project, though, the consultant changes his mind, moving the goalposts, and completely altering the desired outcome. This, of course, results in insufficient time, or an inability to deliver, and ultimately, project failure.
While it’s not possible to avoid this situation entirely, it does strengthen the argument for detailed, written contracts. At least with a contract, you will have something to refer back to in this situation!
Sometime, somewhere along the line, every consultant faces project failure, but often, it’s the way you handle that failure that determines how you come out of it. When working with consultants, companies have certain expectations, and, whether those expectations are right or wrong, it’s important to learn from your mistakes, fix them when it’s your fault, or try to come to some other professional, civil arrangement when it’s not. Remember, it’s their project on the line, but it’s your reputation!
City People, in its infinite measure of consideration, have tried to reach our consultant to sit and review the contract but as we speak, the subject is still at large with our Patent, Domain access and Earning.
These and more are what necessitated the need to start over and pick pieces where we left from.
Our utmost desire is to ensure that our favorite pastime of consistency in the dissemination of gist from lifestyle, event and parties every notable social outing.
We are pleased to officially announce that we have moved on and have launched a new online platform free of consultants and agents. We assure that we shall continue provide exclusive stories and gist we are known for.
Thank you for your support and patronage.
For story submissions and inquiries, please email us at citypeopleonline96@gmail.com