How to prepare your software project before talking to a developer
What information to gather before hiring software or website development, to get a clear proposal and avoid surprises.
You don’t need a technical document
You don’t need to know how to code to start a project. What helps most is being clear about the problem you want to solve and how your team works today.
Questions worth answering
- What problem do you want to solve or what opportunity do you want to seize?
- Who will use the solution: your team, your customers, your suppliers?
- How is the process done today and what tools do you use?
- What outcome would make you call the project a success?
- Is there a key date, such as a launch or a busy season?
Helpful material
- Examples of sites or apps you like, and why.
- Spreadsheets, forms or reports you use today.
- Your logo, colors and copy, if the project is a website.
- An approximate budget range, so the right scope can be proposed.
Prioritize: essentials first
Separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves. A staged project starts with what adds the most value and adds features later, based on real feedback from your users.