Fixed-price software development: what needs to be scoped?

Start with one complete task

“We need a CRM” does not yet define a deliverable. Describe an action instead: a salesperson creates a request, a manager approves it and a customer receives a status. Identify the people, required information and evidence that the journey works.

This separates the first need from future improvements. It also makes quotes comparable on the work they cover, rather than on their headline prices alone.

Write down the boundaries before building

Scope should identify users, screens, business rules and included connections. Migrating ten clean files is different from reconstructing an incomplete history. Data quality and access availability therefore belong in the scoping conversation.

• One priority journey and a person responsible for acceptance.
• Sample data and the roles allowed to see it.
• Integrations and prerequisites supplied by each party.
• Exclusions and a process for pricing additional requests.

Separate the build price from running costs

Ask which expenses continue after delivery: hosting, email, APIs, subscriptions, backups and support work. Establish who owns the accounts and who checks the system is working. Similar upfront prices can include very different responsibilities.

The GOV.UK Service Manual recommends considering total ownership cost and the ability to change technology later. Those technical criteria help compare options; they do not estimate the cost of your project.

GOV.UK — Choosing technology

Agree on observable acceptance checks

Replace “we should like the result” with concrete scenarios: a complete request is saved, an unauthorized person cannot read it, a failure is visible and data can be exported. Run those checks with the people who will use the system.

Separate a defect against approved scope from a new idea. Correction, acceptance and change terms belong in the quote. Owning the code does not replace receiving the accounts and instructions needed to operate it.

What the first Okys sprint covers

Okys lists a first sprint at €5,000 over 14 days for one priority workflow or a focused MVP, with scope approved before building. You pay half at launch and the balance on delivery of the agreed scope. You own the code.

The format does not promise a complete ERP or every SaaS feature in one sprint. Access, constraints and the deliverable are reviewed before confirmation. After delivery, you can stop or scope a next step. Suitable projects can be handled remotely, regardless of country.