Software project brief builder

Put together a software project brief or a request for proposal in a few minutes. Answer 7 questions, mostly by clicking, and the builder lays out the goal, users, features and integrations, plus a list of questions worth clarifying before a quote. Download the brief as a PDF.

Project type

What do you want to do? Pick the option that describes the project best.

Project type

Goal and problem

A few sentences are enough. You can skip the optional fields - missing information goes to the open questions.

e.g. orders arrive by email and sales staff retype them into the ERP

Which tools, how many people, where the delays and errors are

e.g. an order reaches the ERP in minutes instead of the next day

Users

Who will use the system day to day?

Who uses it

How many people will use it

e.g. sales rep, warehouse worker, manager, customer

Platforms

What will users work on? You can select several.

Features

Select what you need in the first version.

e.g. visit calendar, route map, online payments

Integrations

Which systems and channels should the app exchange data with?

e.g. Comarch ERP XL, a Shopify store, HubSpot CRM

Timeline and budget

The builder gives no prices. Timeline and budget only help shape the scope of the first version.

When should the system be live

e.g. start of the season, an audit, the end of a contract with the current vendor

An amount or a range, if you know it. You can leave it empty.

Sample project brief (RFP template)

This is what a brief from the builder looks like. The example is an app for delivery acceptance reports - use it as a template for a software request for proposal and adapt it to your project.

Create your own brief

Digital delivery acceptance reports

Project brief

Project type
Mobile app
Number of users
20-100
Platforms
Android, Tablet in the field, Browser (web app)
Deadline
Within 6 months
1

Project type

  • Mobile app
2

Goal and problem

  • Problem to solve: Drivers fill in paper acceptance reports at the customer's site and the office retypes them into the ERP 1-2 days later. Reports get lost and there are disputes about what was delivered.
  • How it works today: About 1,200 reports a month: a paper form, scanned in the office, retyped into Comarch ERP XL, archived in binders.
  • How we will know it worked: A report with the customer's signature and photos reaches the ERP within minutes, without retyping.
3

Users

  • Who uses it: Field or warehouse staff, Office staff
  • Number of users: 20-100
  • Roles: driver, dispatcher, billing department
4

Platforms

  • Android
  • Tablet in the field
  • Browser (web app)
5

Scope of features

  • Working without internet (offline)
  • On-screen signature
  • Photos and document scans
  • Admin panel
6

Integrations

  • Comarch ERP
  • Details: Comarch ERP XL - delivery notes and delivery status
7

Timeline and budget

  • Deadline: Within 6 months
  • What drives the deadline: start of the peak season, when deliveries grow
8

Open questions to clarify

Worth answering before a quote.

  1. Should the app be published in the App Store and Google Play, or only on company devices?
  2. Which devices do field staff have, and is there coverage everywhere they work?
  3. How long must the app work without internet, and what should happen when two people change the same data?
  4. Is a signature drawn with a finger or stylus enough, or does the document require a qualified electronic signature?
  5. How many photos or scans enter the system per day, and how long must they be kept?
  6. What should an administrator be able to set up without a developer: users, lookup lists, document templates?
  7. Which Comarch ERP (Optima, XL, Altum) and which version? Do you have access to its API or database?
  8. What must be in the first version, and what can wait for later stages?
  9. Which data has to be moved from current tools (Excel, an old system), and how much of it is there?
  10. Who on your side decides on scope and signs off each stage?
  11. What budget do you plan for the first version?

What software cost depends on

The builder deliberately gives no price. The cost depends on details that only come out in a conversation. These factors change it the most:

  • Number of platforms

    Browser, iOS, Android and desktop are separate screens to design and test. Cross-platform technologies narrow the gap but do not remove it.

  • Integrations

    Every system the app exchanges data with is separate work: learning its API, mapping the data and handling the moments when the other system does not respond.

  • Offline work

    An app that works without internet stores data on the device and has to resolve conflicts after syncing. It is one of the more expensive requirements.

  • Roles and permissions

    The more roles and exceptions (who sees what, who approves, who stands in), the more logic and testing.

  • Data migration

    Moving data from an old system or from Excel needs cleaning, mapping and a completeness check.

  • Security and audit

    Change history, logs, backups and industry requirements add work, but many companies cannot do without them.

A brief makes a reliable quote easier. After a 30-minute call you get a summary and a proposal for next steps. Book a call

Frequently asked questions

What is a software project brief?

A short document describing the project's goal, users, scope of features, integrations and constraints such as the deadline. It lets a vendor ask the right questions and prepare a quote. In tenders and requests for proposal it serves as the description of what is being ordered.

Can I send the brief to other companies?

Yes. The brief is yours: download it as a PDF and send it to several vendors. The same information for everyone makes offers easier to compare.

Why does the builder give no price?

Because the price depends on details the builder does not know: the number of screens, exceptions in the process, the quality of data to migrate or what the systems you integrate with can do. We prepare a quote after a conversation about the brief.

What if I do not know the answer to some questions?

Choose "Not sure" or skip the optional field. The builder adds the topic to the list of open questions worth clarifying before a quote. Marking an unknown is better than guessing.

What should I leave out of the brief?

Passwords, customers' personal data and confidential information. A description of the process is enough for a first contact; details can be discussed on a call.

Is the data I enter sent anywhere?

No. The builder runs in your browser and stores nothing on a server. The brief reaches us only if you send it yourself with "Send the brief to 2Simple" and enter your contact details.

Related

Let's talk about your project

Describe in a few sentences what you want to build or improve: an app, a platform, an integration or a process. We reply within one business day. The first call is an analysis, not a sales pitch.

Write to us or email office@2simple.it