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Sample one-page brief (filled in) — illustrative Balearic business, not a published real-client case study with claimed metrics:
- Company: restaurant group with a central kitchen in Palma de Mallorca, seasonal pop-ups in Ibiza, and a fresh-goods supplier in Menorca.
- Goal (90 days): unify kitchen orders, waste, and shifts in one ops panel with per-site alerts.
- Current systems: Excel + WhatsApp + different POS per venue; no single CRM; billing in a separate cloud tool.
- Seasonal peak: July–August (Ibiza ≈2.5× orders; Menorca ferry delays 1–2 days).
- Roles: Palma HQ ops, head chef, pop-up managers, accounting.
- Success metric: −40% time to consolidate daily orders; waste visible per island before 11:00.
- Out of scope (v1): guest-facing app, loyalty, marketing automation.
- Budget / decision: 8–10 week pilot; go/no-go after two peak weekends of data.
If you are requesting a quote from an AI software development company in Palma or elsewhere in the Balearic Islands, this format stops the “tell us your idea for an hour” loop and forces decisions. It does not replace how to choose an AI software development company: it complements it with a brief you can compare across vendors.
Anatomy of the one-page brief
A useful brief for custom software in Palma is neither a novel nor a 40-slide deck. It is a conversation contract. Each block has a job:
Goal. One sentence with a horizon (30/90 days) and a business outcome—not “add AI”. If you cannot measure it, the vendor will invent demos. In a Balearic season, tie the goal to the peak (Palma HQ, Ibiza pop-up, Menorca supply), not a flattering annual average.
Current systems. A cold list: ERP, POS, Excel, WhatsApp, CRM, APIs. Without this, any pitch for AI process automation is fiction. Note who owns each system and whether a real export exists.
Seasonal peak. Volume ×2 or ×3, multilingual staff, temporary hires, ferries. If you omit Ibiza and Menorca, the quote will be priced for February in Palma.
Roles. Who decides, who uses it daily, who audits. A brief without roles produces software “for everyone” that nobody runs.
Success metric. One or two numbers: time, error rate, euros, closed tickets. If the metric is “better experience”, you are buying theatre. When the product may become multi-site, also align with buy, adapt, or build a custom SaaS.
FAQ (before you send the brief)
Is one page too little? It is the filter. If a vendor needs an 80-page RFP to estimate a pilot, they either do not understand Balearic SMEs or they are selling endless discovery. You expand after the first workshop.
Should I disclose budget? Yes—at least a range or ceiling. Without a ceiling you will get three incomparable proposals. The brief is not a blind auction.
What if I do not know yet whether I want AI agents or just software? Say so. You can ask for a human/agent/hybrid map as in the post on a task map for AI-agent apps, or an automation plan like the 30-60-90 plan. Keep v1 open without stuffing “the whole business” into the first quote.
Can I send the same brief to three vendors? Yes—and that is the point: you compare scope, assumptions, and risks, not only price. Change the recipient, not the problem.
Scorecard: how to evaluate the vendor’s reply
When the quote lands, score 0/1 on each item. A solid AI software partner in Palma, Ibiza, or Menorca should hit at least 7/10:
- Restates your success metric in their own words (does not invent another).
- Lists explicit assumptions (data, APIs, POS access, languages).
- Separates pilot vs roadmap; does not sell a “full platform” as v1.
- Names concrete integrations from your stack, not “we connect to everything”.
- Includes an off-season maintenance model (critical in the Balearics).
- Explains where AI is real (classification, prediction, agent) and where rules apply.
- Proposes measurable go/no-go criteria after the pilot.
- Mentions permissions, logs, and GDPR without being asked.
- Assigns client-side roles (ops, kitchen, accounting) in the work plan.
- Delivers timeline and price with risk bands, not a magic fixed number with no conditions.
If they fail items 1, 3, or 6, you are looking at a demo dressed as a proposal. Also use the filter on when custom software is worth it before you sign.
Illustrative case: central kitchen in Palma, pop-ups in Ibiza, supplier in Menorca
Picture (illustrative scenario) a group with a central kitchen in Palma de Mallorca supplying two permanent venues and, in summer, three pop-ups in Ibiza. Fish and produce arrive via a Menorca supplier with ferry windows. Today managers send orders on WhatsApp at 22:00; the kitchen consolidates by hand at 06:30; accounting discovers waste weeks later.
With the one-page brief, three vendors answer differently. Vendor A promises an “AI app that predicts demand” without touching the POS. Vendor B proposes a consolidation panel + stock rules + ferry alerts, and leaves prediction for phase 2. Vendor C copies the brief and adds a diner chatbot. Only B passes the scorecard: same metric (−40% consolidation), clear assumptions, pilot scoped to kitchen + pop-ups, no loyalty.
In the illustrative pilot, Palma ops validates the panel; Ibiza reports orders before cut-off; Menorca enters as lead time, not as a chat channel. AI, if present, classifies exceptions (stock-out, substitution)—it does not “decide the menu”. The lesson: a short brief forces the vendor to choose; an endless briefing rewards whoever improvises best in the meeting.
What should come out of the first meeting
Do not sign after a coffee. Demand these numbered deliverables—within 48–72 hours, not “whenever we can”:
- Annotated brief returned: what they understood, what is missing, what they exclude from v1.
- Pilot scope in a short in/out list of flows.
- Integrations and access needed in week 1.
- Top 5 risks with mitigations (ferry, POS, seasonal staff, languages).
- Tentative 8–10 week calendar with internal demo milestones.
- Pilot price + assumptions that move the price if they change.
- Pilot acceptance criteria (numbers, not adjectives).
- A single next step (data workshop / kickoff / no-go) with a date.
If the first meeting only produces “we will send a generic proposal”, you do not have a partner—you have a PDF.
Send your one-page brief
If you operate in Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, or Menorca and want Derek Solutions to reply with scope and assumptions—not theatre—send your one-page brief (even if incomplete). We return it annotated and tell you whether an AI software pilot fits or whether process cleanup comes first.
Contact: derek@dereksolutions.com · +34 680 283 973 · dereksolutions.com.
