Fix time and budget first, then scope. SaaS founders who scope open-endedly never ship version one.
The 14-day scoping frame
- Day 1-2: Map current workflow with one operator in the room.
- Day 3-4: Define success metric (one number or observable behaviour).
- Day 5-6: Cut everything that does not serve that metric.
- Day 7: Fixed scope doc: users, screens, integrations, out-of-scope list.
- Week 2: Build, demo, handover, no parallel feature requests.
Scope doc must include
- Acceptance criteria per screen or workflow step.
- Integration list with read/write direction.
- Who owns data migration and cutover.
- Handover: code, deploy, docs, training slot.
Use this as a working checklist inside your team first. When the same steps repeat every week and spreadsheets start breaking, that is usually the moment to scope one workflow, one user group, one measurable outcome and a fixed handover plan as an owned system. See the relevant Standen service · More guides · SaaS ops audit.