Before Starting Work: What to Discuss with a Software Development Agency

All You Need to Know About BANT

BANT deals with your budget, but the budget itself isn't the only factor IT companies consider during evaluation. 

BANT is a method commonly used by software development agencies to check whether project assumptions and expectations fit within a specific budget and, in short, make sense. Validating the project at an early stage allows both sides to better understand the project, come up with alternatives, or simply avoid disappointment and misunderstandings during collaboration. 

BANT stands for four terms: Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline.

• Budget: One of the tricky aspects of sales is figuring out the client's financial capacity. However, most agree that the first step is always an open dialogue with the client—a qualified exploration of their challenges and crafting a solution for their needs.

This stage helps answer questions like:  
Is the budget and resources adequate for the project scope?
Is the client willing to pay and adjust the budget?

• Authority: This stage is important for both sides to ensure a collaboration is possible. The software development agency wants to determine if the prospective client is ready to work together, and if so, under what terms. It aims to check the seriousness and real interest of both parties to respect each other's time.

This stage helps answer questions like:  
Who will review and approve tasks?
Is everyone clear on the scope of responsibility? 
How will changes be communicated? 
Are we at the decision-making stage? 

• Need: This stage identifies the real need behind the request, the features and functionalities of the software being developed. It also defines the unique selling points, performs competitive analysis, and determines use cases.

This stage helps answer questions like:
What problem will the product or service solve?
What sets it apart from the rest?
What is the goal?

• Timeline: Timelines are aligned with expectations. The number of versions and revisions is determined and reconciled with budget and resources. Passing this stage is important to see if the project will meet deadlines or face delays, and whether it may incur additional costs.

This stage helps answer questions like:
When is the final product launch planned?
Can additional costs be justified to speed up the process?
What is the approval process?

Going through BANT is very beneficial for clients—they can ensure they are on the same page as the software development agency, understand risks and challenges, and identify potential bottlenecks. Ultimately, it can save time for both them and the IT companies, which may decline the project if they cannot deliver within the proposed framework.

While BANT is a method used by many software development shops, it's not the only one you may encounter. Another alternative is MVP, which in short is a reduced test version of the project aimed at validating its business viability. 

Let's briefly touch on it.

The Importance of MVP in Software Development

Do all projects need an MVP? No, probably not. But if every project in the world went through this, perhaps some wouldn't have been developed as we know them—or might not have failed.

MVP is one of the simplest methods to validate or refine a product or software idea. 

MVP is a limited version of the product that offers the core and most important features to test whether the final product will be successful. It describes the fundamental and basic functions that make up the product's value. Thus, the software development agency gets feedback on the app's functionality, and the client can check if the chosen path makes sense.

By creating an MVP, we aim to get a quick and reliable evaluation of an idea or product during the testing phase. At CrustLab, we often recommend this solution to clients working on "under-construction" projects or whose ideas need additional validation. We can also suggest workshops where the project vision is developed together.  

However, that's not always the case. Maybe you already know exactly what you want to achieve? Those requirements and expectations are usually included in an RFP. 

RFP: What You Need to Know About Request for Proposal

The term RFP stands for Request for Proposal. It often also includes a Request for Quotation (RFQ), covering the signing of a contract and defining terms. This stage is more detailed—the client issuing an RFP usually already knows what they're looking for, what they can afford, and what kind of collaboration they want. Software development agencies may request additional information, and workshops are also an excellent way to clarify any doubts.

Even if an RFP is not mandatory at the initial stage of collaboration, it is beneficial for both sides, even if created in a shortened form. It can allow the software development partner to better understand the project's foundation and point out areas that need revision. RFPs also enable proposing alternative solutions and providing accurate time and cost estimates. 

This gives the client predictability and allows flexible planning of time and budget, as well as the opportunity to present a demo version to investors or potential users. An RFP can also create an opportunity for faster time-to-market and more profitable earnings.

There's nothing wrong with not having an RFP—not every project or product started with one from the beginning. A reliable software development partner should be a true partner even at this stage and guide you through the entire process regardless of whether an RFP exists. They should understand and navigate the client's business needs, what functions the software/product will perform, the distinguishing features of individual enterprises, the use cases, what the product offers the market, and its core selling value.

Below is a sample RFP for reference.

RFP Template

• Document version information.
• Introduction:

- general industry overview,
- competitive analysis and/or benchmarks,
- design benchmarks and preferences,
- project objective,
- roles and accesses required within the project,

• Definitions of industry terms that may appear in the RFP.
• List of core functions for each role.
• List of all screens/views that must be included in the application, with sufficient design examples, ideally wireframes, though often not ready at this stage.
• Detailed description of each subpage and its individual elements:

- header and footer,
- full description of the offering,
- photo gallery—layout and content,
- content on subpages,
- elements such as tabs, categories, cart, favorites, booking calendar, etc.,
- admin panel,
- possible payment methods,
- other capabilities such as pricing and promotion algorithms, search engines for offers, filtering.

• Separate description for the mobile version.
• Technical requirements: technology, traffic KPIs, supported browsers or devices, test environment, necessary integrations; SEO requirements.
• Formal requirements—how to submit a proposal, timeline, channels, who to contact for additional questions, etc.

Such an RFP may be sent to several software development companies to get the best proposal and select one for actual development. This raises many questions, not only from the client's side.

Questions a Software Development Company May Ask

In fact, the more information a development company asks for, the better for the future of the entire project. Asking questions is not a sign of poor knowledge or lack of skill; rather, it indicates the company's desire to understand the core of the problem and provide accurate estimates. 

While there may be some predefined templates and question patterns (as shown below), these are usually individual cases depending on how complex the RFP is. Some questions may already be covered in the RFP or simply need clarification because they only scratch the surface, but there can also be numerous areas that are not addressed at all.

The more information development companies ask for, the better for the future of the entire project.

If no RFP is conducted at all, questions will pile up quickly. 

The importance of being proactive at this stage and providing answers quickly can improve the overall process, speed it up, and enhance collaboration, ultimately contributing to the project's success. 

Below are some frequently asked questions (and their variations) that software development companies ask when receiving an RFP or a simple request. Consider them more as a guide regarding what may be asked and what details might be needed to provide. There can be hundreds and hundreds of questions at this stage.

1. Project development stage:

• How long has the project been in development? (if applicable)
• Is the project monolithic or broken into microservices?
• Can you provide more details about the project architecture itself?
• What types of tests have been conducted?
• Has static code analysis been performed?
• To what extent does domain knowledge contribute to the project's success?
• Has system performance monitoring been implemented?
• Were any large-scale user systems considered when implementing modules?
• What front-end technology was used?
• What version of Java is your server running?
• Which modules does the entire system currently rely on?

2. Team and collaboration:

• How many people will be on the development team, and what is their weekly hourly commitment?
• What methodology does the team follow?
• Under the current arrangement, will support be limited to maintaining the current product version, or is it possible to develop new features?
• What is the development team's turnover throughout the project?

3. Application specifications:

•  What is the minimum OS version the app should support?
•  What is the main UI framework?
•  Will the project be sold through official platform stores?
• What level of analytics will the app require?
• Will the app need to handle payments?

4. Additional features:

• Does it need to support, develop, and sync offline mode?
• Are third-party authentication services planned?
• Is biometric authentication support needed?
• Will the strategy use push notifications or in-app messaging?
• Is multilingual support planned for this product?

Of course, these are just some of the questions that may be asked. Various factors such as project scope, budget, technology, and requirements come into play. Nonetheless, our list can shed light on how specific or generic certain questions can be.

Now It's Your Turn 

If you came across this article and made it this far, you're likely interested in collaborating with a software development agency. Great! The better you prepare, the more successful the cooperation will be. Take our word for it.