A founder called me last week, frustrated.
Their dev team built exactly what they asked for. And it was completely wrong.
The problem? The dev team never pushed back. Never asked hard questions. Just said "yes" and started coding.
If your developer never challenges you, that's a red flag.
Here are the 7 questions your developer should be asking YOU:
1. What does success look like?
Not features. Not specs. What business outcome are we trying to create? If they don't ask, they're building in the dark.
2. Who are the actual users?
"Everyone" isn't an answer. If they don't know who's using this and how, they can't design for real workflows.
3. What happens if we're wrong about X?
Every project has assumptions. Good developers surface them early and ask, "What's our backup plan if this assumption breaks?"
4. What's the budget ceiling?
Not the initial budget. The ceiling. If scope grows, what's the max you can spend before this project gets killed?
5. What existing systems does this touch?
Integrations are where projects go to die. If they don't map dependencies upfront, you'll discover them at the worst possible time.
6. Who approves scope changes?
Is it you? Your CTO? A committee? If they don't know the approval path, every change becomes a bottleneck.
7. What does post-launch support look like?
Launch isn't done. Who fixes bugs? Who handles updates? If they're not asking, they're planning to disappear.
At ScopeForged, we ask all these questions in our Discover phase.
We turn down 40% of inquiries because after asking hard questions, we realize we're not the right fit, or the project isn't ready.
That's not a bug. That's the feature.
A dev team that asks hard questions is a team that's thinking about your success, not just their invoice.
Which of these questions has your dev team NOT asked you?
#SoftwareDevelopment #TechPartners #ProjectManagement #DigitalStrategy #ClientSuccess
→ scopeforged.com
Philip Rehberger Founder, ScopeForged scopeforged.com
