"How much does an app cost?" is one of the most common questions a software company hears, and the honest answer is always "it depends". Not because vendors like to be mysterious, but because two apps with the same name can be completely different pieces of work. The good news is that you can get a far more accurate quotation simply by preparing a clear brief. You do not need technical knowledge to do it. You need to know your own business, which you already do.
Start with the problem, not the solution
Many briefs begin with "we need an app" or "we want a website like this one". It is more useful to start with the problem you are trying to solve. For example, "our sales team takes orders on paper and the warehouse often gets them late" tells a vendor far more than "we need an ordering app". When the problem is clear, a good team can suggest the simplest solution that works, which may be smaller and more affordable than what you first imagined.
- What is going wrong today, or what opportunity are you missing?
- What would be different if this was solved?
- How will you know the software is doing its job?
Describe who will use it
Software that suits a manager at a desk may not suit a delivery rider on a phone. List the different kinds of people who will use the system and what each of them needs to do. These groups are often called user roles, which simply means types of users with different permissions.
- Who uses it inside your business, such as owners, managers, staff or accountants?
- Who uses it from outside, such as customers, parents, clients or suppliers?
- What device will each group mostly use, a computer or a phone?
- Will anyone use it in Bangla, English or both?
Explain your current process
Walk the vendor through how the work happens now, step by step, even if it is messy. Mention the spreadsheets, paper forms, WhatsApp groups and workarounds. Photos of forms or screenshots of spreadsheets, with sensitive details removed, are extremely helpful. The current process shows where the real complexity lives, and complexity is what drives effort and cost.
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
This is the single most useful thing you can do for an accurate quote. Write two lists. Must-haves are the features without which the software is useless to you. Nice-to-haves are features you would like but could live without at the start.
- Must-have example: staff can record a sale and the stock updates automatically
- Must-have example: the owner can see daily sales from a phone
- Nice-to-have example: customers receive an automatic thank-you message
Keeping the first version focused on must-haves makes the project easier to plan and lets you start using the software sooner. Nice-to-haves can be added later once you see how the system is used in real life.
Share examples you like and dislike
Examples save a lot of back and forth. Point to apps or websites whose look, layout or way of working you like, and say exactly what you like about them. Examples of things you dislike are just as useful. You are not asking for a copy, only giving the team a sense of your taste and expectations.
Mention connections and existing data
Tell the vendor about anything the new system must work with, such as a payment gateway, an SMS service, accounting software or an existing website. Also mention whether you have old data, like customer lists or product catalogues, that needs to be moved across. These details can change the scope of work considerably, so it is better to raise them early.
Be open about constraints
If you have a budget range in mind, a launch event or a season you are planning around, say so. A vendor cannot respect a constraint they do not know about. Being open lets them suggest what is realistic within your situation, rather than quoting for something you cannot use.
What a good vendor will ask you
A careful software company will not send a price after one message. Expect questions like these, and treat them as a good sign.
- Who are the users, and what is the most important thing each one must be able to do?
- What happens today when something goes wrong in this process?
- Which features are essential for the first version?
- Does it need to work on phones, computers or both?- What support do you expect after launch?
If a vendor gives a firm price without asking anything, be cautious. They are either guessing or planning to fill the gaps later, often at your expense.
Send your brief to GrapCode
If you are planning a software project, you can message GrapCode on WhatsApp with your notes, however rough they are. You can also request a free software review, where our team reads your situation by hand and replies with honest questions and suggestions. There is no automatic report. We give every client a custom quotation after a short conversation, because that is the only way to quote fairly.
