A good software brief explains the problem, the people who will use the software, what they need to do, the reports you want, and your budget and deadline. It doesn’t need technical words. Two or three pages written in plain language get you better quotes, fewer surprises and software that fits. Here is a template you can copy.
Why a brief matters
Without a brief, every developer guesses, and you get quotes you can’t compare. With one, every quote answers the same question, and you can see who understood your business.
The template
1. About the business
- What the business does, in two or three lines.
- Number of locations, staff and customers.
2. The problem
- What is going wrong today?
- What does it cost you in time, money or mistakes?
- Example: “Orders are taken on WhatsApp and written in a notebook. About five orders a week are missed or delivered late.”
3. The goal
- What will be different when the software works?
- Example: “Every order is entered once, the warehouse sees it at once, and the customer gets an update when it is dispatched.”
4. The users
| User | How many | What they need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sales staff | 6 | Enter orders from the phone |
| Warehouse | 3 | See orders, mark them packed and dispatched |
| Accounts | 2 | Raise invoices, record payments |
| Owner | 1 | See daily sales, dues and stock |
5. Main tasks, step by step
Describe each main task the way it happens today and the way it should happen. Use a numbered list for each.
6. Reports
List the reports you want, who reads them and how often.
7. Connections to other systems
Accounting software, payment gateway, SMS or WhatsApp, existing website.
8. Devices
Phone, computer, tablet? Android, iPhone or both? Will people work without internet?
9. Data
What data exists today, and where? Excel, notebooks, another app? Roughly how many records?
10. Must-haves and nice-to-haves
Two separate lists. This is the most useful part of the brief for planning a first version.
11. Budget and timeline
A budget range, and the date you need it by, with the reason for that date.
12. After launch
Who supports it? Do you expect changes every month?
Tips
- Attach photos of the forms, registers and sheets you use today.
- Describe what happens when things go wrong, not just when they go right.
- Ask two or three people who will use it to read the brief.
- Mark anything you are unsure about. A good developer will help you decide.
How Ameya Artha helps
Send us your brief, or just a few lines about the problem. We will turn it into a written scope, timeline and price. See our software services