Build the Workflow Before the Feature List

Many software projects start with a feature list.

Those features may all be useful, but they do not explain the business problem yet.

For custom software, the feature list is often the second document. The first document should describe the workflow.

Features are easy to name

It is easy to say "we need a dashboard."

It is harder to answer:

If those questions are unclear, the dashboard is only a surface. It may look useful in a demo, but it will not be trusted during real operations.

When you map the workflow first, the first release often becomes more realistic.

Instead of building a large "business platform", the first version may become:

That is not less ambitious. It is more controlled.

The first release should prove that the system can survive real usage.

Good scope is not only a list of what to build.

It also says what can wait.

For example:

This keeps the product from becoming heavy before it becomes useful.

Developers do not need to become business consultants.

But we do need to understand the work that the software will replace or support.

Useful questions include:

These questions make the code easier to design because the domain becomes clearer.

Before writing a feature list, write the workflow in plain language.

Use this structure:

If that map is weak, the feature list will probably be weak too.

At Pytagotech, this is how we prefer to start custom software discussions: workflow first, features second, release plan third.