- Consultancy
- Discovery & Specification
Discovery & Specification
Know exactly what you need before you ask for quotes. A clear, detailed specification of your new system, written by a developer building business systems since 1996.
You own the finished document. Use it to get accurate, like-for-like quotes from any supplier, including us.
Sound familiar?
- You've asked three suppliers for a quote and got three completely different prices.
- Everyone in the business has a different idea of what the new system should do.
- The current system has grown over the years, and nobody has written down how it really works.
- You're worried about moving your data across and going live without disrupting the business.
Most quotes differ because each supplier is guessing at what you need. A proper specification removes the guesswork.
How it works
- A free 30-minute call. We talk about what you're trying to achieve and agree the scope and number of days.
- Time with your team. We sit with the people who do the work, on site or remotely, and learn how your business really runs: the processes, the exceptions and the workarounds.
- The specification. We write it up in plain English that your team can check and your suppliers can quote from.
- Review together. We walk through it with you and make any corrections before it's final.
What a specification covers
Here's a real example. After five days on site with a membership organisation, we produced a 50+ page specification covering 27 areas:
The business
Members, companies, claims and entitlements, member classification.
The people using it
Member portal, claim workflow, notifications, form builder, wireframes and design reference.
The back office
New member processing, data entry, recurring payments, company subscriptions, reports, data exports, automated reports.
Getting there safely
Document import, data migration plan, testing before go-live, initial deployment.
Running it
API design, server infrastructure, maintenance and SLA, scheduled maintenance.
See the full contents
- Introduction
- Members
- Companies
- Claims and entitlements
- Notifications
- Member portal
- Claim workflow
- Data entry for logs
- Back-office system
- New member processing
- Back-office reports
- Member classification workflow
- Data exports
- Automated reports
- Recurring payments
- Company subscription processing
- Form builder
- Initial document import
- Front-end wireframes and design reference
- Data migration plan
- Testing before go-live
- Initial deployment
- API design
- Server infrastructure
- Maintenance and SLA
- Scheduled maintenance
- Appendices
It covers far more than screens. It also covers the parts that usually go wrong: moving your data, testing before go-live, and who looks after the system afterwards.
What you get
- A complete specification you own outright
- Requirements in plain English, organised by area and priority
- How the new system connects to the ones you already use
- A data migration plan, a testing plan and a go-live plan
- Hosting, support and maintenance needs, so quotes include the running costs
- A walkthrough of the finished document with your team
A minimum of 10 days, covering time with your team and writing the specification. Quoted after a free call, from £6,000.
Take it anywhere
The specification is yours. Send it to as many suppliers as you like and compare their quotes properly. If you'd like us to quote too, we will, but you're under no obligation.
Why us
We've spent decades on the other side of the table, building and looking after the kind of systems a specification describes. We know which questions to ask, and which details cause problems later if nobody writes them down.
Questions
How long does it take?
A minimum of 10 days in total: typically around half with your team and half writing and checking the specification. Larger systems take longer. We agree the number of days on the free call.
Do I have to use you for the build?
No. The specification is yours to take to any supplier.
Can you work on site?
Yes, and it's usually the best way to see how your business really works. Remote sessions work well too.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes, happily.
What if we already have a system?
That's common. We document how the current system works, what needs to change, and how to move your data across safely.
Wondering whether AI could help as well? See our AI Consultancy.
Ready for quotes you can trust?
Book a free 30-minute call. Call 07884 433240 or send us a message.