Perfect (almost) plan for the software

[BaGRoS]

Hi
Question for software developers.
I am the customer.
If someone comes to you to quote for a software development assignment:

• What should such a plan include?
• What issues should it cover? In what order?
• What to pay special attention to, for what less attention?

Any comments very welcome.

 

[agraham]

• A complete agreed specification of the app functionality, price (if fixed and not hourly rated) and expected delivery timescale.
• A complete agreed specification of the the app functionality and expected delivery timescale.
• A complete agreed specification of the the app functionality and expected delivery timescale.

 

[AnandGupta]

A complete agreed specification of the the app functionality and expected delivery timescale.

This is NOT a mistake by @agraham that it is repeated but reality that in most cases all sorts of 'your' problem will start if specification is not marked on stone.
If you can not then better make part of the spec fixed and agreed and complete that only, get paid, then only go for next spec.

 

[BaGRoS]

• A complete agreed specification of the app functionality, price (if fixed and not hourly rated) and expected delivery timescale.
• A complete agreed specification of the the app functionality and expected delivery timescale.
• A complete agreed specification of the the app functionality and expected delivery timescale.

But this should software developer gave me?

The question is what I should include in the software plan so that the developer can price the work and I can do it.

I am the customer.

 

[agraham]

You, as the customer, want to buy a system that implements certain functionality. The software developer wants to provide you with that system at a price that is worth it to him. There are no fixed 'things' that you need to include. You just need to agree a complete written functional specification of the final system with the developer that you are both happy with and that hopefully has no loopholes, ambiguities or omissions. The details of that specification will vary according to your requirements for the specific job but should contain descriptions of the required functionality that can be measured/tested to check a conformal implementation of that specification.

 

[BaGRoS]

You, as the customer, want to buy a system that implements certain functionality. The software developer wants to provide you with that system at a price that is worth it to him. There are no fixed 'things' that you need to include. You just need to agree a complete written functional specification of the final system with the developer that you are both happy with and that hopefully has no loopholes, ambiguities or omissions. The details of that specification will vary according to your requirements for the specific job but should contain descriptions of the required functionality that can be measured/tested to check a conformal implementation of that specification.

This system exists only in my head. No one has produced it yet. I want to hire a company to make a working program out of an idea from my head. So I need to know how best to get the idea from my head into another person's head. Because it's not always that simple. So I want to figure out one step at a time what I need to transfer into a document so another person can do it and price the time and money.

 

[agraham]

So I need to know how best to get the idea from my head into another person's head

We can't tell you that. Just start writing what you expect it to do and take it from there.

 

[Magma]

@BaGRoS ...in simple words... you need/want something... may be in your mind is letter "A"... when you describe it to me... may be I understand it as letter "a"... seems same but it isn't... So when you want a "custom" work to be "done"... you must have the time & the money, not only wave them to loop sometimes the steps until the developer understand what do you want.... many times... the result is somewhere in the middle (that is a good scenario... sometimes the best, sometimes you get better product what you need for)

 

[hibrid0]

Hi
Question for software developers.
I am the customer.
If someone comes to you to quote for a software development assignment:

• What should such a plan include?
• What issues should it cover? In what order?
• What to pay special attention to, for what less attention?

Any comments very welcome.

Check this book. Really help a lot with your questions

https://a.co/d/fBReMKW