Write down the job the app should do
Start with the recurring task and the point where the current process fails. An app may help people review requests, track progress, or coordinate actions. If the problem is simply transferring information between existing tools, an integration may be enough. Name the primary user, the decision they need to make, and the information they need to make it. A useful first app has a clear completion point for the user, not just a collection of dashboard widgets.
Separate the essential flow from later ideas
Describe the smallest complete journey: receive a request, review it, assign an owner, and mark the next action. List the states and explain who can change each one. Put optional reports, extra roles, and convenience features into a later backlog. This helps everyone assess a first release without treating every idea as a requirement. It also makes the quote more meaningful because the work has a visible boundary.
Map permissions and integrations
Specify who can view, edit, approve, export, or delete information. Name the source of truth for each important record. Check whether the existing tools provide usable APIs and appropriate account access. Decide how failures, duplicate events, and mismatched records should be handled. A connection that works once in a demo still needs realistic error behavior, authorization, and an owner who can investigate when something changes.
Agree on acceptance and handover
Use observable tests: a user can submit the agreed request, a reviewer can make the defined decision, and the result appears in the right place. Include incomplete inputs and permissions checks. Clarify who owns the domain, hosting, source code, provider accounts, and credentials. Handover should explain how the agreed release works and how future changes are requested. Third-party licenses and running costs belong in the proposal, alongside the build fee.
Plan maintenance before launch
Name the systems covered, how issues are reported, the support window, and what counts as a new feature. A monthly improvement plan is different from emergency support. At Puzinski, a focused internal web-app release starts at $7,500 for one primary role, up to three core user flows, and one agreed integration. Native mobile apps, complex permissions, migrations, and wider products are quoted separately. Share the user, task, current tools, and first-release goal to begin a useful scope discussion.