There is no need for fifty pages. Two or three are enough if they answer the right questions. Here are the ones that really change the price and the timeline.
1. The problem to solve
Describe what does not work today before you describe the solution. “We re-enter every order by hand in two tools” says more than “we need an app”. An agency can then suggest something simpler than you had in mind.
2. Who will use it
Your customers, your staff, just you? On a phone, on a desktop computer, on the move without a signal? The number of user profiles and their permissions weigh more on the budget than the number of screens.
3. Features, in order of importance
Sort them into three groups: essential at launch, useful later, nice to have. That single distinction lets you ship a first version sooner. The rest only starts once the foundation has proven itself.
4. What already exists
- The tools to connect: accounting, online shop, CRM, calendar.
- The data to migrate: Excel files, the old website, the customer database.
- The domain name, the hosting and the existing accounts.
A data migration or a connection to third-party software is often the least predictable part of a project. Flagging it from the start avoids a nasty surprise halfway through.
5. The constraints
A fixed date (a trade fair, an opening), languages, accessibility requirements, a requirement to host your data in Switzerland: anything that is not negotiable belongs in writing.
6. A budget, even a rough one
Many people hesitate to give one for fear it will be spent in full. Yet it is the very information that makes the right proposal possible: a range is what lets an agency choose between adapting an existing tool and building something custom.
7. After launch
Who will handle updates? Who fixes a problem on a Sunday? Who owns the code? These questions belong in the quote, not after delivery.
A good quote answers each of these points in writing: a scope, what it excludes, a price and a timeline. If one is missing, ask for it before you sign.
To choose between an off-the-shelf tool and custom development, also read Custom software or off-the-shelf. And if your brief is ready, get in touch: we reply with a scope and an estimate.