Excerpt from I Hate My Web Developer

Hate is such a strong word. Perhaps you would consider the phrase 'strong aversion to'. Seriously, it happens in any field. And while we'd love you to consider us as an alternative, there are several reasons why that should not be your first choice. Most of the time it is going to cost more to change developers than to keep the ones you have, at least for the current phase of the project.

Usually the problem lies neither with the developer nor the client but more in the processes in which they have engaged. And processes can be fixed. That is the good news. Sometimes, the relationship is too damaged to recover, but usually not. So let's take a quick look at the most common causes of problems and what can be done to fix them. Since we'd like to do that in a positive way, let's look at how to keep your developer happy and make sure you look after yourself at the same time. Repairing the damage will be cheaper than jumping ship if the ship can be saved.

Perhaps the most severe problem comes when deadlines are missed and projects run over budget. These situation can cost a lot more than just the extra programming fees. Help yourself and your programmers by making sure that the initial estimate you receive has a good chance of being accurate. You can refer to one of our other articles "how to bring a project in on budget" for more information.
Websites are a peculiar medium. They have no "publishing date" and can therefore be subject to endless change. Clients very often utter the phrase "one more thing" and hope the programmer will add it without additional cost. This is simply unfair. You wouldn't ask that question at your dentist, so there is no reason to ask your developer. It really is a cause of a great deal of friction. Good developers are busy people and have work scheduled in advance. No one change is usually the problem, it more an accumulation of changes. Try to avoid that where possible. Your programmers will thank you for it.
Consider pre and post action review. If you want something done a specific way, don't ask your developer to guess what you are thinking. If you don't give them a guideline then don't tell them they got it wrong. Even if you're happy to pay for the time needed to fix it, it is demoralizing.
Avoid the ultimate sin. Don't oscillate between claiming that some piece of programming is ABSOLUTELY URGENT and then take days to test and supply feedback on the latest change.

All of the above talk about how client's can keep their programmers happy. Perhaps you have done everything reasonable and the fault really lies with your developers. Assuming you have tried the usual ways to get the situation on track and still no progress - perhaps it is time to move on. If so, we'd refer you to our article on "how to choose a web developer" and suggest it makes good reading BEFORE you start again with a new developer.