The most expensive software mistakes are made before anyone writes code. They’re made in the first conversation, when a vague idea gets turned into a confident quote by people who don’t yet understand the business.
A good discovery call prevents that. Here’s what one looks like from our side of the table — so you know what to expect, what to bring, and when to be suspicious.
What discovery is for
Discovery has one job: to make sure we’re solving the right problem before we talk about how to solve it. A surprising number of requests change shape during discovery. “We need a mobile app” becomes “our technicians need to submit job sheets from the field,” which might be a mobile app — or might be a simple web form that works offline. The second one costs a fifth as much.
If an agency quotes you a price from a one-paragraph email, they are either guessing or they’re planning to charge you for the difference later.
What should happen on the call
We talk about the business first, the software second
Expect questions like: How do you make money? Who are your customers? What happens today when a new order comes in — step by step, including the ugly parts? Where does time get wasted? What would “this worked” look like in six months?
If the first twenty minutes are about features, the agency is building what you asked for rather than what you need.
We ask what you’ve already tried
Spreadsheets, off-the-shelf tools, a previous developer. The history tells us what’s been ruled out and why — and sometimes reveals that an existing tool just needs configuring properly, which is a much cheaper answer.
We look for the smallest valuable version
Almost every project has a core — the one thing that must work for the business to benefit — and a halo of nice-to-haves. A good discovery call separates them. The core becomes phase one; the halo becomes a roadmap, not a reason the launch slips by four months.
We’re honest about fit
Sometimes the right answer is “use HubSpot,” “this is a Shopify app, not a custom platform,” or “you’re not ready for this yet.” We’d rather lose a project than win the wrong one.
What to bring
You don’t need a specification. You do need:
- The problem in one sentence, in business terms. “Our invoices go out three days late” beats “we need an ERP.”
- Who is affected — staff, customers, partners — and roughly how many.
- The current tools and what you like and hate about them.
- A rough budget range. This isn’t about squeezing you; it tells us which approaches are realistic. “Under $15k” and “$50k+” lead to different, equally valid conversations.
- A timeline driver, if there is one — a launch, a season, a contract.
- The decision maker on the call, or at least their priorities.
What you should walk away with
Within a few days of a good discovery call you should receive, in writing:
- A restatement of your problem in the agency’s words — if it’s wrong, the project will be wrong.
- A recommended approach, including options considered and rejected.
- A scope for phase one, with what’s explicitly out of scope.
- A timeline and a price (fixed or ranged) with assumptions stated.
- What they need from you, and when.
If any of those are missing, ask. If the agency can’t produce them, that’s your answer.
Red flags
- A price before any questions. It’s a guess, and you’ll pay for the guess being wrong.
- Every answer is “yes.” Good engineers push back. A partner who never says “that’s a bad idea” isn’t thinking about your outcome.
- No mention of what happens after launch. Software needs maintenance. If nobody brings it up, nobody has planned for it.
- Vagueness about who owns the code. You should. Full stop.
- Technology before problem. “We’ll build it in React Native with a Node backend” is a fine answer to a question you haven’t been asked yet.
Why this saves you money
Every hour spent in discovery removes several hours of rework later. Changing a requirement on a call costs nothing; changing it after three weeks of development costs three weeks. A clear scope also means a clear quote — and clear quotes are the ones that don’t grow.
Our discovery calls are free, take about 30 minutes, and come with no obligation. Book one here — and bring the ugly parts of your process. Those are the interesting bits.