Custom Software Discovery Checklist

Custom software projects fail more often from unclear requirements than from technical difficulty. This checklist sets out what to establish before a build begins, so that the specification describes the problem rather than a guess at the solution.

Work through it with the people who do the work, not only with the people who will approve the budget.

01 — Business objective

• What problem are we trying to solve?
• Why does the problem matter?
• Who experiences the problem?
• What does the current process look like?
• What would a successful outcome look like?

02 — Users

• Who will use the system?
• What are the different user types?
• What does each user need to accomplish?
• What permissions will each user require?

03 — Functional requirements

• What should the system allow users to do?
• What workflows need to be supported?
• What information needs to be captured?
• What approvals are required?
• What notifications are required?

04 — Integrations

• Does the system need to connect with existing software?
• Are interfaces available on those systems?
• Are payment systems required?
• Are communication platforms required?
• Are external databases or services involved?

05 — Data

• What data will the system store?
• Who owns the data?
• Who can access it?
• How long does it need to be retained?
• What security requirements apply?

06 — User experience

• What should the primary user journey look like?
• Which actions should be easiest to reach?
• What devices will people use?
• Are accessibility requirements relevant?

07 — Operations

• Who will administer the system?
• Who will manage users?
• Who handles support?
• What reporting is required?

08 — Future growth

• Could the number of users increase?
• Could additional workflows be added?
• Will integrations expand?
• Will multiple locations or teams use the platform?

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Define the problem first. Define the system second.

Related reading: custom software versus off-the-shelf.