Maryland’s Healthcare Insurance Exchange Issues Highlight the Need for WordPress Code Reviews and Audits

Numerous concerns exist for the individuals tasked with overseeing a company’s web development project from inception to completion. There is also no question that the stakes for successful execution of a project throughout every stage of the process are considerably high. Since an organization’s website is often a consumer’s first point of contact with a given company, it becomes crucial that the site is not only up and running within a reasonable timeframe but also free of security flaws and other code compliance errors that might threaten the integrity of your business as a whole.

Servernotresponding

A Cautionary Tale of Failed WordPress Website Development

It’s hard to believe an entity as large as the State of Maryland could find itself faced with web development issues great enough to necessitate an entire development team overhaul for its new online healthcare insurance exchange. That’s just what happened when it announced a switch from its prior development contractor to a new firm earlier this Spring. It’s unclear exactly what went wrong with the state’s first contract due to the clandestine nature of the exchange board’s discussions and subsequent decision to hire a new consulting firm that later took place. There is no question, however, about the financial devastation that occurred in that failure’s wake; Maryland spent an estimated $130 million on its first unusable website. That doesn’t count the estimated $43 to $53 million it will cost the state for another contractor to get the job done right, not to mention the additional time required to design and develop the state’s online health insurance exchange.

To learn more about what services  Materiell offers for WordPress Code Reviews and Audits visit our WP-Code Audit Services page.

How a Code Audit and Analysis Might Have Saved Maryland Millions

Web development is an ever-changing, complex field that requires a considerable amount of expertise to execute successfully. This holds especially true for larger entities seeking web development services, including law firms, higher education organizations, commercial enterprises, or even a local or state government entity, like Maryland. Yet it seems that evaluating potential developers during the request for proposal (RFP) stage, as well as throughout various milestones of the entire development process, often ends up being an overlooked element, despite being an integral aspect of designing a mission critical website. How much money — and time, for that matter — might the State of Maryland have saved had it enlisted the services of a firm experienced in expert code auditing and analysis services? When the end-product website that is consequently delayed is meant to provide an important service to a large number of consumers, the adverse effect of the web development project’s failure multiplies exponentially. Code audits exist to provide an in-depth review of every stage in the WordPress web development process. Not only do they safeguard the often considerable financial investment put into the creation of a mission critical website, code audits are also an efficient means to ensure the proposals you receive are from developers qualified to build the envisioned site, complying with well-documented standards (such as WordPress’ codex standards) and capable of meeting desired deadlines leading up to a website’s launch.

maintenanceprompt

Quality Code Audit and Analysis Services

Maryland’s web development difficulties and financial loss might seem like a worst-case scenario, but they provide a cautionary example of the types of setbacks that, although realistically preventable, can be devastating to a business entity. A code audit is exactly the kind of essential precaution that may save your company time and money throughout virtually any stage of the web development process. Materiell is a custom WordPress web and creative agency dedicated to serving businesses in the Washington, D.C. metro area and beyond with code audit needs. By acting as an impartial third party throughout each stage of the website development process, Materiell’s code auditors, who include recognized experts in the field of WordPress development, offer a comprehensive strategy to best address the needs of your website or web property throughout its design and development process. Contact us today for a code audit and analysis evaluation plan that meets the unique needs of your business or organization.