1. Start with the process, not the product
Bosseo describes Custom Software as a way to turn a firm’s bottleneck into a tool, with examples including client status portals, speed-to-lead tools, referral trackers, document intake flows, internal dashboards, calculators and connections between existing systems. For a firm serving Laketon in Muskegon County, the first decision is operational: identify the work that consumes attention regardless of whether matters originate in the township or elsewhere in the county. Population data does not tell you which process is costly; your staff’s account of the work does.
Recommended approach
Bring one concrete sentence to the consultation, such as “someone at the firm manually re-enters this information” or “clients repeatedly ask for the same status update.” Then document who performs the task, what information they use, where the process stops, and what a successful result would look like. Bosseo says a requirements document is not necessary for the first conversation, but your internal notes will make the discussion more precise.
