An agency built it and it doesn't work. Now what?

This is one of the most common calls I get. The money is spent, the launch date has slipped, and the app works in the demo but not with real customers.

Here's what I'd do, in order.

Stop adding features. Every new feature on a shaky base makes the fix more expensive.

Get access to everything, in your name. The code repository, hosting, domain, database, email provider, app store accounts. If the agency owns any of them, that's the first conversation, before anything else.

Get an independent read. Not from the agency that built it. Someone who can open the code and tell you plainly what's there.

Expect one of three answers:

• Keep it. It's rougher than it should be, but it holds up.
• Fix it. The base is fine, and specific parts need rework.
• Rebuild it. The base won't carry what you need.

Rebuilding is the right answer less often than people expect. Most of the time it's fixable, and what you learned from the first version is worth a lot.

Next time, put it in writing:

• The code lives in your GitHub from day one.
• Every account is in your name.
• You see working software every week, not status reports.
• "Done" means tested and live, not delivered.