PIPELINEGuide
What do you need for custom software? The prerequisites
Before custom software even makes sense, a few things need to be in place at the business. What those are — and which supposed prerequisites actually aren't.
For custom software, a business needs three things: a specifically named process that currently costs time or orders, existing content or data to work with, and a person authorized to make decisions. Technical prior knowledge is explicitly not required.
01 — Requirements
What you need for custom software
- A clearly defined trigger. Not “we should do something with AI,” but a process that demonstrably costs time or orders today.
- Existing content or data. Custom software works with what's there. The more complete the starting point, the shorter the setup.
- Access to the systems involved. Whoever manages the credentials needs to be involved from the start — this is, in our experience, the most common cause of delays.
- One decision-making contact person. One, not three.
- Willingness to refine after launch. The first weeks in real operation show what was missing in the concept. That's normal and accounted for.
02 — Participation
What we need from you
- A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
- Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
- Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
- Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
- An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.
03 — Fit
When it's worth it
- The process in question occurs at least weekly.
- It follows rules you can write down — even if there are exceptions.
- Today it's manual work that no one enjoys doing.
- There's one person who decides, not three who need to coordinate.
- You can name what would tell you it worked.
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
What if we discover new requirements during development?
That's normal and planned for, because we work in small steps. A new requirement is incorporated into the next step, instead of stalling the entire project.
What happens if we no longer work together?
You have the code, documentation, and access. We deliberately use widespread technologies so that a switch is possible without someone having to rebuild everything.
How do we avoid the project going off the rails?
Small steps with usable results, fixed budgets per step, and the option to exit after each step. Large fixed-price projects over twelve months are the most reliable path to disappointment — for both sides.
When does custom software pay off compared to standard software?
When your process is a genuine competitive advantage, when standard software only fits seventy percent and the rest ends up as manual work, or when license costs per user exceed the development cost over a few years. If it's only about convenience, standard software is cheaper.
How many users can a system like this handle?
That depends on the architecture, which we plan according to your expected growth — from a few users in your own business to several hundred across multiple locations.
Does this run on our own servers or in the cloud?
Both are possible. For most businesses, a cloud solution is lower-maintenance; where data must not leave the premises, we set it up on your own infrastructure.
Who owns the source code?
You do, completely, upon payment. That's in the contract. You can take it to any other developer — that's the point.
05 — Next
Related pages
- Custom software — Overview
- Custom software — Costs
- Custom software — Process
- Custom Software — Data Protection
- Custom software — Provider comparison
- Custom software — Checklist
- Custom software — Risks
- Custom software — Team and acceptance
- Process automation
- CRM integration
- API Interfaces
- All guides
Custom software by region
Next step
Initial assessment, no obligation.
Briefly describe what you need. You'll get an honest answer about what's realistic and what it will roughly cost.