I have found that many disputes on custom software projects trace back to one sentence in the statement of work that both sides read differently. “Admin dashboard” can mean three screens to one party and fifteen to the other. Nine questions, answered in writing before signing, close those gaps.
What problem and which users does the SOW name?
The SOW should name the business problem in one paragraph and list every user group by role. Without those two items, nobody can test whether a feature belongs in scope. Every later question depends on them, so settle them first and keep the wording plain enough for a new team member to follow. One page is enough.
- What problem does the software solve, in numbers? “Cut order entry from two days to same day” gives the team a target. “Improve efficiency” gives them nothing.
- Who uses it, and how many of each role? Fifty warehouse staff on phones need different screens from four finance managers at desks.
If the software replaces an existing tool, list what the old tool does that users rely on, including features nobody wrote down. A spreadsheet with hidden formulas can surface as a dispute three months into the build.
Who owns the code, the data and the accounts?
Ownership must be stated in the contract, with no assumptions. Under Section 19 of India’s Copyright Act, 1957, an assignment of copyright is valid only in writing. Where the agreement leaves out the period, the law treats it as five years. Leave out the territory and the assignment covers India only.
- Does the agreement assign full copyright in the source code, worldwide and with no time limit? Ask a lawyer to confirm the clause before anyone signs.
- Whose name holds the cloud, domain, app store and code repository accounts? Every buyer of software development services should insist on accounts in the company’s own name from day one. Vendors can be added as users and removed later. Recovering an account registered to a former vendor’s employee can take months.
How are changes priced and approved?
Scope will change, so the SOW needs a change process. Each change request should carry a written description, an estimate, the effect on the timeline and a named approver on the buyer’s side. Work starts only after approval, and the approved request becomes part of the contract.
- What is the rate for change requests, and who can approve them? Name one approver and one backup.
- What happens to the timeline when a change is approved? A two-week feature pushes later milestones by two weeks unless the team grows, and adding people mid-project slows things down for the first few weeks while they learn the code.
What counts as done?
Acceptance criteria turn opinions into tests. Each feature needs a short statement that can be checked, such as “a manager can approve an order of up to ₹5 lakh from a phone”. User acceptance testing needs a fixed window, often ten working days. Agree what happens when the window closes without feedback.
Non-functional criteria belong here too. Page speed, the number of users signed in at once and the browsers the system supports all need a figure. A target such as two seconds for the order screen with 200 users online gives testers something to measure. Vague targets fail every test. Write each figure into the SOW itself.
- Which acceptance criteria apply to each milestone payment? Tie every payment to criteria the buyer can test.
What happens after launch?
Launch is the start of the system’s working life. The SOW should state a warranty period for defects, the support hours that follow it, response times by severity and the full list of handover documents the buyer receives.
- How long is the warranty, and what does it cover? Ninety days is common. Ask how a defect is defined.
- Which documents arrive at handover? Expect architecture notes, deployment steps, environment details and admin credentials.
How do you use these questions?
Send the nine questions to every shortlisted vendor before pricing. A capable custom software development company Chennai buyers can rely on will answer each one in writing and add questions of its own. Compare the answers side by side.
Burhani Technologies has built custom software in Chennai since 2010, and buyers can put these nine questions to its team before any estimate.
Firms offering software development services that cannot answer questions three and four clearly should drop off the list.
Speaking to a custom software development company Chennai teams have recommended this month? Start with those two.
