How to Prepare for a Software Project: A Requirements Checklist

The quality of a software project depends heavily on how clearly it is described at the start. You do not need technical language. You need clear answers to a small set of questions. This checklist helps you prepare a brief that leads to accurate estimates and fewer surprises.

1. The goal

• What problem are you solving, and why now?
• How will you know the project has succeeded?
• What happens if you do nothing?

2. The users

• Who will use the software: customers, staff, partners, administrators?
• How many, roughly, and how technical are they?
• On which devices: phones, tablets, computers?

3. The process today

• How is the work done now, step by step?
• Which tools, spreadsheets or paperwork are involved?
• Where are the delays, errors and repeated work?

4. The features

• List everything you would like, then mark each as must-have, should-have or later.
• Describe each in one sentence, in terms of what a user can do.
• Attach examples, screenshots or apps you like.

5. Data and integrations

• Do you have existing data to move into the new system, and in what form?
• Which other systems must connect: payments, accounting, messaging, email?
• Are there reports or exports you must produce?

6. Rules and constraints

• Any legal, security or privacy requirements?
• Who is allowed to see and change what?
• Any technology you must or must not use?

7. Budget, timeline and decisions

• Your realistic budget range, and how firm it is.
• A target launch date and the reason for it.
• Who makes decisions, and how quickly can they give feedback?

8. After launch

• Who will manage the system day to day?
• What support, hosting and improvement do you expect?

What if you do not know the answers?

That is normal. Write down what you know and mark the rest as questions. A good development partner will run a discovery conversation to fill the gaps, and the gaps you discover early are far cheaper than those found halfway through the build.