Engaging With A Software Development Agency - Part 1

The Single Best Way To Get Better Quotes

‍First Up - What is Digital Diligence?

We help startups save time and money by identifying their exact product needs through workshops and consultation, resulting in perfect briefs for software development agencies.

And we help startups evaluate quotes from software agencies. If you’re interested in talking, drop us a line.

TLDR; Write a brief!

---

And Here is the Way You Can Guarantee Better Quotes

10 days ago when we started Digital Diligence, I didn’t actually expect the solution would be as simple. But it really is… If you’re a startup and you’re out there, looking for agencies to help build your product, maybe you’re getting frustrated with the quotes you’re receiving:

• Too expensive
• Too much ‘stuff’

Maybe you don’t understand why some use Swift and others use React Native.

It doesn’t matter how you’re reaching out to these agencies, the single most important thing you need to do is send them a brief. There is no excuse for a badly written one either - plug your ideas into ChatGPT or Gemini (the horror) and ask it to create you one. More on that in a later article..

Small Effort, Big Reward

This was one of the most surprising things we’ve learned in the last month. Our expectation was that everyone would send a brief to an agency when requesting work. The reality is - the majority don’t bother. What do they send instead?

An email, with a few lines about their product and a budget (sometimes).

Topics You Should Cover

We’ll cover this in more detail later because it deserves more than a paragraph.

Things you should include (assuming you’re building a product not engaging to add features):

1. An introduction (one or two paragraphs) that explains your product
2. Goals - a few bullet points that explain what you need building
3. Integrations - if you’re using external services, list them here
4. Features - break this down into categories like “login page”, “upload song”, “send email”. Be clear & concise.
5. Existing tech - what you have in place already
6. Existing team - who you have in place already
7. Timeline - when you need it built by
8. Budget - how much money you have

Clarity

Startups often operate on innovative ideas, which can be complex and multifaceted. A well-crafted brief forces you and your team to clearly articulate your vision, goals, and expectations. Not only does this clarity help the software development agencies understand your project’s purpose, scope, and desired outcomes, it ensures everyone is on the same page from the outset.

‍Moreover, it will help you understand exactly what you actually need to build, rather than what you want to build. 

Disclaimer

Whilst sending a brief will get you better quotes, it won’t guarantee the quotes are all perfect. There will always be discrepancies. Sometimes agencies make mistakes. Sometimes they’re not good eggs. By writing a brief, you’re giving yourself a better chance. It’s a bit like turning up to the pool in your speedos rather than a pair of jeans.

If you need help either crafting the perfect brief for your next project or help evaluating your quotes, drop us a line.

‍