You’ve decided to take the first step in creating your custom software and downloaded the KeyQ Software Planner. Now you’re looking at Step 1 and wondering why in the world do I need to spend time describing my organization…? You’ve been working in your organization for years or maybe you even started it from the ground up. You know it well, so why is this part of a software planner??
There are two good reasons we feel this is a really important first step: The first is that we’ve found that, no matter how familiar our clients are with their organization, it’s always helpful to take some time to put that knowledge on paper. It helps them practice articulating things in succinct, clear ways as well, a skill that comes in handy as you work through the KeyQ Software Planner.
Secondly, one of the goals of this KeyQ Software Planner is to give you a full picture of your software project. This will help you make business decisions, present the idea to stakeholders, development companies, and/or investors once you’ve put together a proposal. Therefore, understanding the context of this software project is important.
What does your organization do?
What is your elevator pitch? You have 30 seconds to tell someone about your organization including key characteristics, history, product/services you offer, the target market you serve, and goals for the future.
What makes you unique?
What makes your business stand out from the rest? What makes you unique and special to your ideal customer? Think about traits such as quality, convenience, dependability, customer services, and emotions.
Who are your customers?
Who buys your products or services? Keep in mind your current customers as well as the customers you are targeting now or in the future.
Who are your competitors?
When thinking about competitors, think about who provides the same or similar products or services. Put yourself in a customer’s shoes or better yet, ask your customers who they think are your main competitors. Sometimes customers will think of another organization as a competitor that you might not.
Where does your revenue come from?
Which of the products or services do you sell to generate revenue? Is it a subscription base, one-time sale? Do you get revenue from a couple of customers or many customers?
Answering these questions fully and completely will give you a solid start to designing a custom app that will take your business to the next level. It will also help you start to articulate the why and what that will help you find investors and sell the idea to your customers.
Get Started with Custom Software
Ready to take the first step in planning your own custom software? Download the free KeyQ Software Planner
