How to Scope a SaaS Project: The Checklist We Use Before Hiring Anyone

The $30,000 Mistake

We hired a developer without proper scoping. $30,000 and 4 months later: a partially working product that did 30% of what we needed.

The developer wasn't bad. We were bad at scoping.

The Scoping Checklist

1. The One-Sentence Description

Complete: "[Product] helps [audience] do [specific job] in [timeframe] without [current problem]."

If you can't fill this in, you're not ready to build.

2. The Core User Flow

Draw the path from signup to value.

Not architecture. Not database schema.

Just: What does a user do first? Then what? Then what?

3. The Success Metric

How will you know if the product works?

Not "lots of users." But "50 users paying $100/month."

Specific. Measurable.

4. The Three Non-Negotiables

What are the three things the product MUST do?

Everything else is negotiable.

5. The Don't-Need List

What are you explicitly NOT building in MVP?

Written down. Agreed upon.

Before Talking to Agencies

• One-sentence description written
• Core user flow sketched
• Success metric defined
• Three non-negotiables listed
• Don't-need list created
• Budget range identified
• Timeline realistic (not optimistic)

Questions Agencies Should Ask

If they don't ask these, be suspicious:

1. "What's the one thing users must be able to do?"
2. "What happens after they sign up?"
3. "How will you know if this works?"
4. "What's NOT in MVP?"
5. "Who are you building this for?"

The Red Flag Checklist

• They quote without discovery
• They say "yes" to everything
• Timeline seems too good
• No talk about testing
• Vague about process

Scoping prevents expensive mistakes. Take the time.