This document provides 15 tips for specifying requirements when outsourcing a startup project. It recommends starting with a 1-page overview rather than lengthy documents, clearly communicating timeframes and funding sources, providing visual prototypes and mockups to demonstrate expectations, having answers prepared for vendor questions, using a response template for proposals, and setting milestones for vendors to follow. The overall goal is to effectively communicate needs and facilitate comparing vendors at each stage of the process.

1. STARTUP OUTSOURCING – 15 THINGS TO DO WHEN SPECIFYING REQUIREMENTS

2. 1 Page > 100 Pages
(Don’t send elaborate requirements to every vendor. Start with a 1-page overview)
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3. Timeframe
(Clearly communicate the start & end dates. Show that you have an urgency!)
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4. Money
(State that you’ve a source of funding for the project, even if it’s out of your pocket!)
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5. Sell long-term
(State briefly your plan for the next 2 years. You’re helping the vendor’s sales guy
present your case as a long term customer!)
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6. Prepare
(Have answers to all the questions. Where you don’t, find and get back!)
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7. Communicate, visually
(Verbal < Document < PowerPoint Mockup < Visual Prototype < Interactive HTML)
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8. Don’t tell. Show
(Pepper your document with links to what’s closer to your expectations.)
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9. Title & number every mockup screen
(Make it easy to refer a screen in a vendor’s estimate!)
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10. Explain what you show!
(Explain every detail that goes into your mockup and make it the detailed functional
requirement document. Better yet, record it in your own voice and send it out along
with your requirement document.)
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11. Take expert help, for planning!
(Get the technical, information and visual design done by someone you can sit across
the hall. Offshore the execution. Near shore the planning!)
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12. Ask for scenario based estimates!
(Ask for estimates that represent different tradeoffs between features count, depth or
cost)
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13. English (beep) English!
(If you are a non-native English speaker and/or if your English is not good, proof-read
your requirements document with someone who is!)
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14. Send a response template!
(Avoid the nightmare of comparing proposals with diverse sections, depth and style. Make your
own template and share it with vendors.!)
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15. Don’t be greedy!
(You cannot get the best code at the cheapest price within the shortest time!)
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16. Set Milestones
(Make every vendor comply with milestones – For Questions, Case Studies, Estimations,
Proposals and References. Ad hoc process would not allow you to compare vendors in every
stage.)
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17. Hard to remember all these points?
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