What to prepare before you hire a software team
A goal, examples, a budget range and a decision maker. Four things that make the first call genuinely useful.
A first call with a development team is worth far more when you don’t arrive empty-handed. You don’t need a finished spec – but there are four things without which it’s hard to give you a good proposal.
1. What should the project change?
Start with the problem, not a feature list. “We spend ten hours a week reconciling spreadsheets” or “our field staff can’t see where a job stands” – sentences like these become good software. We work out the features from there, together.
2. Bring examples
Two or three apps or websites you enjoy using, and one sentence on why. Examples show the quality and feel you expect faster than any description.
3. Have a budget range
A rough range is enough. It tells us whether to start with a simpler first version or go straight for the full system. Without one, everyone is guessing.
4. Bring the person who decides
Most projects don’t slip in development – they slip in approvals. If the person who says yes at the end joins the call, you save weeks.
What you don’t need
- a finished spec or feature list,
- wireframes or screen designs,
- technology decisions.
We create these together during discovery: interviews, a workshop and a written project plan with a cost estimate.