What This Covers
Most custom software projects that fail do not fail because of bad code. They fail because of bad planning: unclear requirements, unrealistic timelines, expectations that drift apart between the business and the development team, and scope decisions made without understanding their downstream consequences. This session covers the planning stage in depth, because getting it right here determines everything that follows.
We walk through the full planning lifecycle, from identifying whether custom software is even the right answer, through requirements gathering that produces something a development team can actually build from, to budgeting and timeline estimation that accounts for the things first-time buyers always underestimate. The session draws on patterns from dozens of projects we have delivered, including the ones where the planning was done well and the ones where it was not, and what the difference cost in time and money. It sits alongside our other custom software events for buyers who want to go deeper on a particular stage.
The session is not about how to manage a development project once it is underway. It is specifically about the decisions you make before a single line of code is written, because those decisions have more impact on the outcome than anything that happens during development. If you want the wider picture of how we approach a build, our custom software development service explains the engagement itself.
Who Should Attend
Business owners and team leads who are considering commissioning custom software for the first time, or who have been through a build before and want to avoid repeating the same mistakes. This session is particularly useful if you are about to start conversations with development companies and want to be a better-informed buyer. No technical background required, since the focus is on business decisions rather than technology choices.
What You Will Learn
- How to determine whether custom software is the right solution or whether an off-the-shelf platform, configuration, or process change would achieve the same result more efficiently
- A practical framework for writing requirements that are specific enough to get accurate quotes but flexible enough to accommodate what you learn during development
- How to estimate realistic budgets and timelines, including the maintenance and evolution costs that most first-time buyers overlook entirely
- The red flags to watch for when evaluating development companies, so you can tell what good engagement looks like from what should concern you
- How to structure a phased delivery plan that gives you working software early and reduces the risk of a large upfront commitment
Format
A 90-minute workshop with interactive exercises and 30 minutes of open Q&A. Attendees receive a requirements template they can use immediately for their own project, in the same spirit as our client portal requirements template. The workshop runs live with limited seats to keep the Q&A useful. Recordings are available on demand after each session.
Secure Your Place
Workshop dates are published as they are scheduled, and you can find the full schedule on our events overview. Seats are limited to keep the session interactive. Get in touch to register your interest or to ask whether this session is the right fit for where you are in your planning process.
