How to commission custom software: what to prepare
How to commission custom software: the six things to prepare before the first meeting, what you do not need, and why every item lowers the quote.
You commission custom software by describing the job as it actually happens, not by writing a technical specification. Owners postpone the first meeting because they think they need a blueprint. They do not. This is the client’s homework: six things that lower the quote.
According to PMI’s 2014 Pulse of the Profession survey, nearly half of unsuccessful projects miss their goals primarily because of poor requirements management. Requirements originate on your side, before the first line of code.
What to prepare before the first meeting
| What you prepare | Why it lowers the price |
|---|---|
| The process as it is - steps, who does them, how often, where it stalls | A concrete job gets estimated, not a vague system |
| Where the data lives today - Excel, email, paper, an old program | Hidden migration work becomes visible and can be priced |
| Who decides and who answers questions - one person, two hours a week | Waiting for answers is why deadlines slip |
| Systems it must connect to - accounting, ERP, web shop | Every integration is a separate line in the quote |
| A budget range, not an exact figure | Scope for version one can be sized |
| One measurable success criterion | ”Order from call to invoice in five minutes” can be tested; “faster” cannot |
A long list is not a big project; phased software delivery shows how it splits.
Why preparation lowers the price
Every unknown in a quote has a price. At a fixed price the agency adds a reserve for what it does not know; on hourly billing you pay that reserve later as extra hours. Fixed price vs time and materials shows who carries which risk. Fewer unknowns, smaller reserve.
Timeline too: how long custom software takes depends more on the speed of your answers than on the number of developers.
What you do not need
- A technical specification. The agency writes that, usually in a Discovery sprint.
- Screen sketches. Drawn before the process is understood, they lock in a poor solution.
- A technology choice. It follows from the requirements.
- A list of every feature. One painful process is enough; see small-scope software projects.
When you do not need custom software
If the process works in an off-the-shelf tool and only the subscription bothers you, a build is not the answer. Nor if one person runs it monthly. The payback calculation and other cases for not building are in custom software development for small business; what a build covers is in what is custom software development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need to know which features we want? No. You need to know which job should get faster or error-free. Features follow.
How long does the preparation take? Usually one afternoon. The process steps and where the data lives matter most.
What if our data is messy? Say so at once. Cleaning is in scope only if known up front; from Excel to a custom application lists what to check.
Do we need an NDA before the first conversation? For a process description, usually not. For access to data and systems, yes.
How do we tell the agency did not read our preparation? If the first quote arrives without a single question. More criteria: how to choose a development agency.
Related Articles
- Discovery sprint: how it removes project risk
- How long custom software takes
- Custom software development for small business
Have the list but not sure what to do with it?
Send us the process description as it is. We will reply with the questions we would ask at the first meeting - no obligation.
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