The first call with a developer goes better when you arrive with a few things written down. It does not need to be technical or polished. A page is enough.
A clear brief makes the quote more accurate, shortens the first conversations and shows early whether you and the developer see the project the same way.
What to write down
The problem. What is hard, slow or impossible today? Write it in one or two sentences, in plain words.
Who will use it. Customers, staff, partners? How many, roughly, and how comfortable are they with technology?
What it replaces or connects to. A spreadsheet, a payment provider, an accounting system, an existing website. List every system the software must exchange data with. This is where estimates move most.
What it must do on day one. Separate the essentials from the nice-to-have list. The first version should cover the essentials.
Constraints. A date you must meet, rules you must follow, such as privacy law (see our note on PIPEDA and app development), and anything the developer should not touch.
Budget and timing. A range is fine. It lets the developer propose something that fits.
What success looks like. Fewer manual hours, more orders, faster response times. Pick one or two things you can check later.
What to leave out
- A feature list copied from another product.
- A technology choice you picked without a reason.
- Anything you are unsure of. Mark it as a question instead.
What happens next
A good developer will read the brief, ask questions and tell you what is unclear. Sometimes the answer is a short discovery step to define the scope before any build begins. We explain how scoping affects cost in software project scoping, and what a build typically involves in what is custom application development.
You can also compare the choice of partner in how to choose a custom software development partner.
If you have a rough brief, even a few lines, send it over. See our application development service or contact us directly.
