How to brief a freelance developer: what to prepare before you reach out

1. Write the goal and the users

Describe what you want to achieve, not what you want to build: more sales, less manual work, a new product. Say who will use it. Once the goal and the users are clear, the right solution usually becomes obvious.

2. Separate must-haves from later

Split the features into two lists. What the first version must have goes in the first list, what can wait goes in the second. A small first version ships faster and lets you learn from real users.

3. Name your existing systems and integrations

• The ERP, accounting or inventory software you use.
• Your payment provider and the payment methods you want to accept.
• An existing website, app or database, and where it lives.
• For a mobile app: Android, iOS or both.
• Who owns the domain, the hosting and the store accounts.

4. Timeline and budget range

If there is a target date and you know why (a campaign, a trade show, an investor meeting), write it down. Sharing a budget range helps too, because the developer can propose a scope that fits it. Fixed price and hourly rates are both common, so you can talk about which suits you.

5. Add examples you like

Send links to sites or apps you like and dislike. An example says more than a paragraph of description.

What the developer will ask you

• Who makes decisions, and how does approval work?
• Who prepares the content: text, images, product data?
• How will access to the needed accounts and systems be arranged?
• Will you need maintenance and support after launch?

I work remotely in Turkish and English. Describe your project briefly, and we'll pin down the scope and talk about price together.