A good brief beats a long feature list
Agencies waste weeks when founders send a 40-page feature list without outcomes. A sharp brief states the user, the job-to-be-done, what must not break, the launch date, and the budget band.
Include constraints: compliance, integrations, existing codebase, and who decides scope cuts. That is how you get a realistic three-to-six week MVP plan instead of a polite fantasy.
What CYD asks in discovery
We ask for one business outcome and one user outcome, the smallest shippable slice, and the riskiest assumption. Then we propose team shape, milestones, and what we will deliberately not build yet.
If you cannot answer those questions, start with a short discovery engagement — not a full build contract.
- Outcome and success metric
- Must-have vs later
- Integrations and data sources
- Decision-makers and response times
- NDA and access readiness
After the kickoff call
Expect a written plan within days: roles, week-by-week milestones, environments, and demo cadence. If a vendor cannot produce that, keep shopping.
CYD’s default is NDA-first, senior staffing, and AI-assisted delivery with human gates — designed for founders who need speed without losing control.