Before you start building
Use this as a printable set of questions for the person commissioning the project. The boxes are for notes or a printed copy; this page doesn’t save your progress.
You won’t know every answer yet. Mark what you do know and bring the open questions into the first project conversation.
Business context
- ☐ Can you clearly describe what your business does and who your customers are?
- ☐ Have you identified the specific business problem this project is meant to solve?
- ☐ Do you understand the cost of not solving this problem (time, money, errors, customer impact)?
- ☐ Have you evaluated whether an existing off-the-shelf tool could solve this adequately?
- ☐ Do you have buy-in from the people who will be affected by the new system?
Users and requirements
- ☐ Have you identified all the different types of users who will interact with the system?
- ☐ For each user type, can you describe what they need to do and what information they need?
- ☐ Have you mapped the current workflow from start to finish, including manual steps?
- ☐ Have you identified the biggest pain points in the current process?
- ☐ Have you prioritized features into must-have, should-have, and nice-to-have?
- ☐ Have you gathered examples or references that illustrate what you are looking for?
Scope and priorities
- ☐ Have you defined what the first version of the system needs to do (and what it does not)?
- ☐ Are you prepared to defer some features to a later phase?
- ☐ Have you discussed scope with your team to make sure nothing critical is missing?
- ☐ Do you have a clear definition of what “done” looks like for the first release?
Technical considerations
- ☐ Do you have existing systems that need to integrate with the new tool?
- ☐ Are there data migration requirements (moving data from spreadsheets, old systems, etc.)?
- ☐ Do you have specific security or compliance requirements?
- ☐ Do you have preferences or constraints around hosting and infrastructure?
- ☐ Will users need mobile access, or is desktop sufficient?
Budget and timeline
- ☐ Do you have a budget range in mind for the project?
- ☐ Is there a hard deadline driving the timeline?
- ☐ Have you accounted for ongoing costs after launch (hosting, maintenance, support)?
- ☐ Are you prepared for the possibility that scope changes may affect budget and timeline?
Team and process
- ☐ Have you identified who on your team will be the main point of contact for the project?
- ☐ Does that person have authority to make decisions and provide feedback quickly?
- ☐ Have you set expectations with your team about their involvement during the project?
- ☐ Have you discussed how you want to communicate with the development partner (frequency, channels, format)?
After launch
- ☐ Do you have a plan for user onboarding and training?
- ☐ Have you discussed ongoing support and maintenance arrangements?
- ☐ Do you have a list of features you want to add in future phases?
- ☐ Have you thought about how you will measure whether the project was successful?
Decisions that are easy to miss
- Skipping the planning phase to start building faster. This almost always costs more in the long run.
- Treating every feature as essential. The most successful projects launch with a focused first version.
- Not involving end users in the planning. The people who will use the system daily should have input.
- Underestimating post-launch work. Software needs maintenance, updates, and iteration after go-live.
- Choosing a partner based on price alone. The cheapest option often costs more when you factor in rework, delays, and communication problems.