Engineering5 min read
What to prepare before you hire a software team
A little preparation turns a vague brief into an accurate quote and a faster start. Here is what to gather before your first conversation, even if you are not technical.
Most delays in software projects start before any code is written. The brief is unclear, the people who use the current process were not asked, or nobody agreed what finished looks like. You do not need a technical specification to avoid this. You need a clear picture of the problem.
Describe the problem, not the solution
It is tempting to start with “we need an app” or “we need AI”. A more useful starting point is what is going wrong today and what it costs. For example: orders arrive by email, someone retypes them into a spreadsheet, and errors are found days later. That description lets a team suggest the simplest thing that fixes it, which may be smaller than you expected.
Gather what already exists
- A short walkthrough of how the work happens now, step by step
- The tools and systems involved, including spreadsheets and shared inboxes
- Sample documents or screenshots, with sensitive details removed
- The people who do the work and who will use the result
- Anything that must not change, such as a system you are required to keep
Agree what success looks like
Write down how you will know the project worked. It might be time saved per week, fewer errors, faster replies to customers or a launch date for an event. A concrete outcome keeps decisions focused and gives both sides something to check the finished work against.
Decide the first release
You will have more ideas than budget, and that is normal. Choose the smallest version that delivers the outcome, and list the rest as later improvements. A focused first release is quicker to build, easier to test with real users and teaches you what the second release should be.
Questions worth asking any team
- How will the scope, price and timeline be agreed, and in writing?
- Who owns the code and designs when the work is done?
- What support is included after launch, and what happens after that?
- How will we see progress during the project?
- What do you need from us, and when?
A good team will welcome these questions. Clear answers at the start are the best predictor of a calm project at the end.