You've signed the contract, made the down payment, and announced the new system to your team. Three months later, the deadline is "pushed back a bit." Six months later, you're wondering if the project will ever finish. By then, you've invested too much to walk away. The warning signs were there early—but no one knew what to look for.
After 30+ years in this industry, we've seen every way database projects fail. Here are the ten warning signs that predict trouble—catch them early and you can intervene before the project goes off the rails.
Sign 1: Vague or Missing Requirements Document
If the vendor starts building without a detailed requirements document that both parties signed off on, you're building on sand. Vague requirements guarantee scope disagreements later. "We thought you meant..." and "that's a change order" become recurring conversations. The requirements phase feels slow, but skipping it is catastrophic.
Sign 2: Single Point of Contact Disappears
You should have one person on the vendor side who knows your project inside and out. If that person leaves and is replaced by someone who's "getting up to speed," worry. If you're bounced between contacts or can't get responses for days, worry more. Project continuity requires dedicated attention.
Sign 3: No Working Software for Weeks
Modern development delivers working software incrementally. If a month passes without anything you can actually use or see, the vendor is either stuck or not prioritizing you. Ask for bi-weekly demos of actual progress—not PowerPoints, but working features. No demo means no progress.
Sign 4: Avoiding Demos or User Testing
If the vendor resists letting you test what's built—"it's not ready yet," "we need to clean it up first"—that's a red flag. Early testing catches misunderstandings when they're cheap to fix. Vendors who hide their work until the end are usually hiding problems.
Sign 5: Scope Creep Without Change Control
Yes, you'll want to add things. But every addition should be documented, with impact to timeline and budget clearly stated. If the vendor says "sure, we can add that" without documentation, they're either padding the estimate or setting up for surprise billing later. Formal change control protects both parties.
Signs 6-10: More Red Flags
6: Blaming you for delays without specifics. 7: Changing the technology approach mid-project. 8: Asking for more money before delivering milestones. 9: Subcontracting work they said they'd do in-house. 10: Optimistic progress reports that don't match what you're seeing. Trust your gut—if something feels wrong, investigate.
What to Do When You See the Signs
Don't ignore them, and don't wait. Have a direct conversation with the vendor leadership—not just your day-to-day contact. Require concrete remediation plans with specific dates. If you don't see improvement within two weeks, consider your options: pushing for recovery, bringing in an outside assessment, or cutting your losses. The sunk cost fallacy kills projects.
Evaluating database vendors or concerned about a current project? Download our database vendor scorecard template to systematically assess vendor capabilities and project health—before problems become crises.