"We need the site to launch in two months."

It's a phrase that is familiar to all Web developers. Clients have an impending deadline -- a conference, a new program launch -- and they need the site to be ready by a certain date.

It's important for Web developers to be accommodating, but we also have to be upfront and realistic about expectations. On paper, when reviewing specifications for a  site, it can seem very easy to meet that deadline. When other factors come into play, it can throw a project schedule out of whack.

• Review and approval of the site design
• Setting up one feature makes someone think of another cool feature
• Testing out the site uncovers an unforeseen issue

Enter the soft launch. Ah, just the shear sound of it is music to a Web developer's ears. It takes the pressure off of trying to have a perfect site on the "big day". Instead, you can test out the site with a smaller group of users without announcing the site to the public. In fact, it's the same way we launched this, our new Data-Scribe Web site.

Here are some features and benefits of the soft launch: