Why do quotes for the same project vary so much?
Because each vendor fills the gaps in a vague brief with their own assumptions. One assumes a simple admin panel, another assumes role-based access, offline mode and five integrations. A precise brief removes those guesses, so the quotes you receive are for the same thing and you can compare them.
What should a software brief include?
- Goal: the business result in one sentence — "cut the time from enquiry to invoice", not "build an ERP".
- Users: every role that will log in (owner, sales, accounts, field staff) and roughly how many of each.
- Workflows: the three to five journeys that matter most, written as steps — "a lead comes in from IndiaMART, sales calls within an hour, a quotation is sent, the customer accepts, a proforma is raised".
- Integrations: every system it must read from or write to — accounting, WhatsApp, payment gateway, email, existing spreadsheets — and whether they have an API.
- Data: what records it holds, what already exists and must be migrated, and anything sensitive (health, finance, personal data).
- Constraints: budget range, launch date, platforms (web, Android, iOS), languages, and who must own the code, hosting and data afterwards.
What should you leave out of the brief?
- Detailed screen designs — they fix decisions before the workflows are agreed.
- A technology stack, unless you have a real reason (an in-house team, an existing platform).
- Long feature wish-lists without priorities — mark each item must-have, should-have or later.
What does a good workflow description look like?
| Vague | Priceable |
|---|---|
| CRM with lead management | Leads arrive from the website, IndiaMART and walk-ins; each is assigned to a salesperson who must log a follow-up within 24 hours; overdue follow-ups show on the owner's dashboard |
| Inventory module | Goods are received by scanning a barcode; stock reduces when an invoice is raised; alert when a product falls below its minimum level |
| Reports | A monthly lead-to-invoice conversion report by salesperson and lead source, exportable to Excel |
What should happen after you send the brief?
A serious vendor should come back with questions, not just a number. Expect a short discovery call, a written scope that restates your workflows in their words, and a quote broken into stages or milestones. If a quote arrives with no questions at all, the gaps in your brief have been filled with assumptions you have not seen.
Where this fits in our work
This guide relates to our software development service. For a worked example, see Megatronix Vision ERP & CRM, ERP & CRM.