The most expensive bugs are the ones in your assumptions. Before a project starts, a little clarity saves months of rework. Here's the checklist we walk through with every new client.
Before you build
- The problem, in one sentence. If you can't state it simply, the scope isn't clear yet.
- Who it's for. The primary user and their single most important job.
- Success metrics. How you'll know the software worked — concrete and measurable.
- Must-have vs. nice-to-have. Ruthlessly separate the two for v1.
Scope and delivery
- Agree the first milestone — small enough to ship quickly.
- Decide the engagement model (fixed scope, dedicated team, or partnership).
- Set a cadence for demos and feedback.
- Name a single decision-maker on each side.
The technical foundations
- Hosting and infrastructure (we default to scalable, secure AWS).
- Data model and integrations with existing systems.
- Security, access control and compliance needs.
- A plan for documentation and handover from day one.
After launch
Software isn't done at launch — it's maintained. Decide up front who handles updates, monitoring and support, so nothing falls through the cracks.
A good kickoff replaces opinions with decisions. Every decision you make now is one you won't argue about mid-build.
Ready to start? Book a free consultation and we'll turn this checklist into a plan.