— 9 min read
日誌How to Brief a Development Agency When You Don't Have a Technical Co-Founder
A simple brief template for non-technical founders who hire a development agency: what to include, what to leave out, and how to avoid jargon.
Topic focus: MVP developer for non-technical founder
Many searches for an MVP developer for a non-technical founder fail for a simple reason: the brief. It is either far too long or far too short. Agencies cannot quote accurately from a feeling, and founders cannot compare proposals without shared words.
一Start with results, not features
Start with the user and the task. "Freelance photographers need a faster way to send contracts and collect deposits" is better than a list of 40 features. Then list the fewest screens that prove that result. Everything else can wait.
二Share your limits early
Tell the agency your budget range and your fixed deadlines, for example a launch, a demo day, or a fundraise. Also list the integrations you must have and the regions you serve. Limits help good teams suggest a sharper MVP. They also filter out teams that only sell long planning phases.
三What to include in a one-page brief
1) Your product idea in one sentence. 2) Your main type of user. 3) How you will measure success in the next 30–60 days. 4) Links to competitors, with what you like and dislike. 5) What you already have, for example a brand, text, or a domain. 6) What version 1 will not do. 7) Who makes the decisions.
That is enough for a serious agency to reply with scope options. You do not need technical diagrams.
四Questions to ask every agency
Who writes the code every day? How do you handle change requests during a sprint? Do we own the code repositories and accounts? How do you report progress? What does "done" mean for this package? Ask for examples close to your idea, for example ecommerce, SaaS onboarding, or booking platforms. Pretty marketing sites alone tell you little.
五Warning signs
Be careful with agencies that promise the #1 position on Google. Be careful with pitches that say "AI builds it automatically" with no person who checks the work. Be careful if a team will not talk about code ownership, or if the price changes on every call with no written scope. Speed is good. Hidden information is not.
六After the brief
Expect a planning call, a written scope, and a fixed or capped price for the first milestone. If you want help to turn a rough idea into a brief, book our free scoping call. We made it for founders who do not have a technical co-founder.