Free resource
Questions to ask before any bespoke build
A vendor-neutral checklist for committees, sponsors, and delivery leads.
Use this one-pager in internal meetings or procurement conversations—with Terrabase or any supplier. Strong questions surface risk early and keep everyone aligned on outcomes, not features alone.
Tip: Tick boxes on paper, or use Save as PDF above and share ahead of your meeting. Questions are vendor-neutral—use them with any supplier.
Why now—and who owns the outcome?
- What problem are we solving that spreadsheets or off-the-shelf tools cannot carry?
- Who will sponsor this work after go-live—not only who signs the purchase?
- What happens if we do nothing for another 12 months?
- Which meetings, audits, or boards must this system survive?
Data you already trust
- Which figures do teams already defend—and where do definitions quietly disagree?
- What is captured manually today (overnight workbooks, exports, re-keying)?
- Which existing systems must we read from or write to—and who owns those interfaces?
- What personal or sensitive data is in scope, and what retention rules apply?
People who must use it every day
- Who are the primary users in the room, on the phone, or at the desk—and what language do they use?
- Where do workarounds hide risk today (shadow spreadsheets, paper trails, local Access files)?
- What training time is realistic—and who champions adoption on each site?
- How will we hear when screens or workflows frustrate staff before reputations suffer?
Delivery, risk, and governance
- Can we phase delivery so teaching weeks, reporting cycles, or inspections are not put at risk?
- What must be written down before build commitments (discovery summary, data map, success criteria)?
- How will changes be prioritised after launch—and who can say no to scope creep?
- What accessibility, security, and hosting expectations does our organisation already mandate?
What “good” looks like at sign-off
- Which reports or screens must be reproducible without a key person hand-rolling them?
- What evidence would calm a sceptical finance, audit, or governance committee?
- How will we test with realistic (anonymised) data before anyone stakes their name on it?
- What does a successful pilot look like—and when do we scale beyond it?
Life after go-live
- Who answers support calls when term starts, enrolment peaks, or funding rules change?
- How are upgrades, patches, and technical debt handled—not only new features?
- What happens if the original supplier team changes or the organisation reorganises?
- When should we revisit the build versus adapt—what triggers a formal review?