Attention Buyer! The seeds of a successful digital project are being sown earlier than you thought.
01 | 2025 Laura Riuttanen, Sales Director & Partner, Kipinä
Planning and preparing digital projects is always a particularly challenging and time-consuming process. Complexities and solutions that require strong technical expertise are the source of many headaches, and a sense of uncertainty creeps into the buying process. At its worst, the process is heated by the worst poison of all - haste. How to choose the right partner for your digital development project? What external expertise is needed? What will it all cost?
These are just a few of the questions that many leaders are asking themselves; the digital transition affects almost all companies in one way or another.
At Kipinä, we have been extensively involved in the digital projects of companies operating in various industries – from software development to construction, banking, energy, and many others. Along the way, our experience has brought us many valuable lessons and insights that have helped both our customers and us to succeed in digital projects right from the start.
The seeds of the most successful digital projects are sown right at the start of the project! That's why we've put together a list of things that we go through with our customers when preparing for each project, for you, the buyer preparing for a digital project. Save it, share it with a friend, or print it out for your break room bulletin board. And if you have any questions, give us a call—we're happy to help.
Do you know what you need?
Before you consider anything else, start with honesty. The first step in purchasing high-quality software development is to understand what is really needed. The nature and form of the problems become clearest when the needs of all internal stakeholders are understood.
What problem are we really trying to solve?
Do we already have some kind of idea about a solution?
Is it a minimum implementation, additional work, a complete project, or perhaps something else entirely?
The next logical step is to identify what the company's resources are sufficient for and what kind of schedule is in place. The available resources make it easier to set realistic goals for the project and justify within the organization why it is worth investing in the project.
What is the schedule and budget?
Are there any issues that are particularly critical to implement?
Do the project team members have enough time to participate in the work? Are there any bottlenecks?
The most effective process is achieved when discussions with potential partners are initiated as early as possible in the problem definition phase. For example, an external architecture survey or the design of a lightweight wireframe model can quickly bring clarity to unclear situations.
It is perfectly natural for there to be different views within an organization about what is being done and how. To avoid confusion in the future, it is worth allowing sufficient time for this consideration. It is advisable to start selecting a development partner only once there is a clear understanding within the organization of what is being purchased and why. This also makes it easier for the partner to respond to genuine needs and present their views on implementation.
Always involve the user
People are always at the heart of software development – software is created for its users. If the development process fails to understand the needs of the user, the project team will easily find itself in deep trouble during the development phase, even if the implementation itself is excellent, functional, and even revolutionary. Here, too, assumptions are not worth the paper they are written on; users should be genuinely involved, rather than relying on assumptions that their thoughts and needs are already well known.
What problems do users think are being solved?
How could user understanding be improved compared to before?
Is there room for improvement in the previous way of working, including in the process itself?
"Looking at things from a helicopter perspective" facilitates brainstorming even beyond the original problem to be solved and makes the user experience meaningful for the end customer. In this way, the software can eliminate unnecessary work steps and increase user satisfaction and efficiency compared to before. On the other hand, users may have limitations that need to be taken into account when designing the service. Therefore, it is important to find out:
What is the user's physical environment like?
What are the user's specific needs or limitations?
In what situations is the service used?
For example, emotions, stress, fatigue, and time constraints easily affect users, leaving them with little energy and time to learn how to use the service, and every extra click can feel excessive. Designing accessible services benefits every user.
Consider your organization's resources and operating methods
Very often, companies have valuable insights, contextual knowledge, and experience that suppliers simply cannot offer. When a project has the support of the entire organization, it is important to identify and harness key internal expertise for the benefit of the project right from the start by selecting the right people.
What kind of technical expertise do we have in-house, and can it be put to good use?
Have we ensured that the entire organization supports the project and is actively working to make it a success?
In addition to the team that generates the most value, the organization's own operating methods can either be an asset or a hindrance to the project. Every company has its own purchasing practices and internal culture, which influence the planning of a successful project.
How are we accustomed to purchasing? Does the same approach apply to this project?
What is our company culture like? Are we physically in the same premises, or is our work structured around remote working?
The arrival of new team members can often bring unexpected surprises. That is why it is important to pay special attention to the experience of new team members and to communicate the organization's culture. This facilitates the formation of a new team and gives external contributors the best possible conditions to meet customer expectations.
Technological limitations and constraints
Every organization is likely to have technical constraints that affect implementation. Both internal and external stakeholders may have requirements that must be taken into account in service development. For example, requirements related to information security, data location, and availability should be addressed as early as the service design phase.
It is also good to remember that no service is ever completely ready these days. There is a common joke in software development:
"The service is only complete when its use is discontinued."
That is why it is worth taking the time to consider the future of the service:
What does the future hold for the service?
What growth targets are set for the use of the service?
What kind of development steps might be pursued in the future?
When designing a service, it is important to be aware of whether the technology choices made will be impossible or at least very challenging to change in the future. Such choices may sometimes be unavoidable, but with sensible architectural design, the risks they pose can be managed. At the same time, it is good to identify which technologies are most likely to need to be reevaluated in the future.
An expert partner can help you choose the right technologies, but it is your organization's responsibility to know if there are any restrictions or special requirements for implementation.
Pay attention to the price in the future as well
Maintaining each service incurs costs. The service must be run somewhere, and it usually needs to be further developed or at least maintained, taking into account information security and software updates. It is worth assessing the life cycle costs of the service before embarking on the project and considering how the service will be maintained in the future.
Someone also has to be responsible for maintaining the service. Are there resources for this within your own organization, or do you want to outsource maintenance? A good supplier does not build cooperation into a supplier lock-in, but ensures an open and clear system that is easy to maintain and accessible to others.
By incorporating the future outlook into the initial budgeting, the development partner can help enable a longer-term plan for the project and improve the conditions for success.
Surprises are part of the nature of the sport, so leave room for change.
Few crystal balls are so clear that it would be possible to assess all potential development needs, stumbling blocks, and ideas that pop up along the way before the project begins. Therefore, one of the most important 'mental aspects' of preparing a digital project is to leave enough flexibility for changes and give the project team room to react to them.
One thing is certain: regardless of the project model, every project involves surprises, whether big or small. The best conditions for success are created by preparing in advance for how to respond to these surprises in terms of schedule and budget.
Choose the right skills and attitude
Once the aforementioned internal preparations for the project have been completed and the background is sufficiently clear, the next step is to select a development partner. It is easy to return to a familiar, safe, and proven partner, but for every digital project, it is important to assess trust, the ability to challenge, attitudes, and, of course, actual technical expertise.
Choosing a truly reliable partner is more valuable than gold when surprises arise along the way. Cooperation based on trust provides room for constructive challenges that develop the entire team's performance. In addition to technical expertise , it is important for us to have a mutual "spark" at the beginning of the cooperation, which is already evident in the offer stage as smooth communication and a sense of certainty that the work will go well even in challenging situations.
A bunch of impressive reference logos alone do not necessarily indicate the right technical expertise or ability to carry out the project. That is why it is worth taking a close look at the team's expertise and, in particular, their attitude.
Partnership is built on honesty
Despite tight budgets, insufficient internal expertise, or known problems with integrating existing systems, start your collaboration with your development partner honestly and openly. Transparency about the actual situation will guide the project more naturally onto the right track when the entire project team starts the project and anticipates the future in mutual agreement.
The experience of solving problems together and sharing responsibility for the final outcome always increases the likelihood of a successful project. An open and honest atmosphere produces the best results.
Good planning is part of success
Planning a successful digital project always involves both hard facts and human aspects. Transparency and honesty are needed both internally and with partners so that the definition phase creates the right expectations and a fruitful foundation for the entire project.
We are involved in our customers' digital projects right from the start. We can help build more efficient processes, technically strong teams, and a smooth and easy purchasing process.
If you have a new development project on the horizon and are concerned about the straightforward purchasing process and defining technical requirements, our experts will be happy to support you and help you move the project forward.
Laura Riuttanen, Sales Director & Partner, Kipinä
The author is a true powerhouse in digital project sales. Laura's gentle yet firm grip on the reins of sales is steering domestic digital development toward the future. Laura's influence can be seen and heard behind the most demanding domestic digital projects across various industries. Laura cools down the circuit with water runs and, like many other sparklers, seeks momentum from the handlebars of a racing bike!