Write an Effective RFP for your Project

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Write an Effective RFP for your Project

by Hvantage
08 Feb 2019
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With a mindset for developing a mobile app or website for your business (be it a startup or an enterprise), you decide to go to the development company. But, wait, have you forgotten something? Let us tell you- An effective Request for Proposal. This RFP solves many problems which you could have in the future. It saves you from being stuck in project failure in the middle or misinterpretation by your developers. Having an effective RFP will give an easy approach to get your project done with fruitful results within set time.

Therefore, while going to your technology partner, you should list your every requirement, features you want to have in your project, be it a mobile app or a website and post-development assistance. These all should be listed in your Request for Proposal.

An effective, well-written and clearly distinguishing Request For Proposal (RFP) is the very step of the ladder in the development. The proposal enlisted with all the requirements and a clear vision of your idea helps you in identifying the right development team who will meet every goal of your proposal. If the proposal does not mention the idea and requirements clearly, it may lead to troubles in the development.

Most of the time, mobile app seekers while making their request proposal commit some common mistakes that take them to trouble and take away from their end products.

Mistakes to Avoid:

Represents Cloudy image of the Project

While writing the proposal, you may miss the important point that distinguishes your idea from others and the essence of the proposal gets lost. Forgetting your market goals, mentioning of the platform whether you need an iOS-based, Android-based or both and the feature you uniquely want in your project (be it a mobile app or a website) will represent your project shadily. Any unclarity will harm your business.

Hesitation in discussion

Before penning down the proposal request, you should discuss each and every point of your idea. Hesitation in asking the questions or knowing the technology or discussing the expertise in the development field of the concerned mobile app developer may misguide you in writing the right request for proposal.

Wrong Estimation of Budget

The common mistake you may commit is not estimating the budget before hiring the mobile app development team. You must set your budget line and then go to different vendors to check their cost for your idea. Surely, you can’t know the exact amount though setting a budget limit is always recommended. The budget estimation depends upon the size of your project as well as the features you want to add. Therefore, you should consult to many mobile app developers so that you can know the approximate price for your product. Also, including this budget into your RFP will be good for you as well for your vendors.

No detailed information

Another common custom in writing a request for proposal is the service seeker only write the headline of the feature or service and thinks that he will discuss in detail in the further meeting with developers. This affects the selection of the right technology partner. Whereas when you specify each and every function in detail you can easily filter out the development team who lacks in those skills. While the detailed information helps the developers to make their strategy to meet the ultimate project in the deadline mentioned.

Things to do prior to writing an RFP-

Figure out the marketing goals you want to achieve through your project.
Then, make a list of functionalities to achieve.
Arrange a discovery session with your vendors to discuss the technology and development process.
Estimate the budget.
Set the features for Minimum Viable Product and mention it in your proposal.
Set the deadline for your project.

What should you mention in your RFP?

The request for proposal is like a project in theory which you want to make practically. Therefore, it should cover every process right from scratch.

An effective RFP contains:

The goals of your project
Your approach to achieve
The functionalities
The technology
The framework
Coding language
Minimum Viable Project Features (if you are willing to build the Minimum Viable Project and Rapid Prototype)
Every detailed information, you think your technical partner should know.
Approximate Budget for your project
Deadline of the project

Conclusion

An effective RFP which could clearly mention your vision decides the progress path for your project. Missing anything important in RFP may lead to the project failure. Most of the time, the development team leaves the project in the middle just because they find the technology or framework on which they are not skilled and that was not mentioned in the RFP initially. Imagine, what could be your condition in such circumstances.

Therefore, the comprehensive and clear proposal is essential to move further in the development process to get a fruitful result.

If you are at the beginning of your project and about to write an RFP with having lots of questions in your mind, just come to us at Hvantage Technologies. Our IT professionals with extraordinary skills and passion have the potential to convert your idea into reality.