So you want to know how much it will cost to develop your new SaaS app or software project. You’re hoping a seasoned developer can review your materials, talk it through with you, and then come up with a number.

So why do we ask you to invest in a day-long workshop?

Developing a new software product is not a simple matter - and neither is quoting for it. While other companies may feel comfortable providing you with a fixed quote after a brief discussion, we hear all too often that this leads to problems later.

It’s impossible without proper input to predict the impact of major choices on costs and timeline, let alone how well you and the development agency will work together. If an agency is ready to provide you with a quote after only an hour of discussion, they will be making assumptions that could turn out to be way off base. Or they may be desperately in need of new customers. In short, consider it a red flag.

What is different with a Strategy Workshop?

A Strategy Workshop goes far beyond a simple quote. It helps you:

 
• Explore options you might not have known were available  
 
• Determine priorities for development  
 
• Fully understand the agency’s depth of experience in your industry  
• Identify the costs associated with various choices  
 
• Learn from our experience working with a variety of startups and software innovators
• Identify risks that may arise
• Get a feel for how well you and the agency will work together
• Set a realistic timeline to meet your goals  
 
• Create a product development roadmap that communicates the things a development team needs to know in order to work effectively on your project  

You can expect a full-day meeting with a Belighted senior project manager. First we will seek to gain a thorough idea of where you stand. Then we will discuss critical decisions and how your choices can impact your goals, technology options, risks and resources. We will help you prioritize efforts based on deadline and budget constraints. We’ll share our expertise and observations from working with dozens of startups and software innovators across various industries and platforms.

Setting priorities and their impact on cost

You have already thought out the features of your new product. But usually there are a lot of nice-to-haves mixed in with the must-haves. Prioritization should be informed by market intelligence collected in your research. The deadline you are hoping to meet will also impact the timing of development of features.

These considerations will impact your costs: do you need the $500,000 version of your product now, or the $50,000 version?

Together we will work through a roadmap for development based on your priorities.

Making sure we can work well together

You want to choose your partners carefully, because a mistake can be costly both in terms of money and time. Spending several hours together is a great way for both of us to assess how well we will work together.

You will get to know our capabilities and culture firsthand in a strategy Workshop. It’s a low-risk project that sets your new product development up for success.

Why is there a cost? Isn’t it basically a paid quote?

We do charge a nominal fee. We think this helps all parties take the work more seriously. The result is that there are fewer surprises when you begin working together.

Moreover, the outcome is not just a quote. It’s a product roadmap you can pursue with confidence, whether we continue together or not.

It’s never a good idea to let a development team dive into coding without first giving them a proper understanding of what the product goals are. Your product roadmap will lay that out in a way that is meaningful to the development team you choose. This document is something you are going to need regardless. Therefore, a Strategy Workshop is never a wasted expense.

More than just developers

The team at Belighted is more than just a group of developers. We are highly-skilled entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers passionate about innovation and technology. We have been helping software innovators since 2008. We also build and launch our own software products (including Monassoc which we sold in 2010, Taskii, and Scale). We live and breathe this world, and our contributions to the dozens of startups and new product innovators we work with extend well beyond programming.

Our in-depth process only allows for one new client per month. Will you be our next success story? Inquire about a Strategy Workshop now.