Start by describing what is happening, what outcome you want and any important constraints. You do not need to decide on a particular product, service or provider before exploring possible Solutions.
PITCHAIDE GUIDES
Define the bottleneck. Let the right software find you.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Start by describing the situation, the outcome you want and the constraints that matter. Avoid deciding too early that you need a particular product, service or type of provider. Once the need is clear, you can explore different ways it might be solved.
01
Describe what is happening
02
Define what better looks like
03
Identify the important constraints
04
Explore different possible Software
You do not need to design the answer before you ask for help.
START WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION
A useful request description starts with what is happening now, not with the tool or provider you assume you need.
A process takes too long. People keep getting confused. A space does not work well. Customers drop out at the same point. The same task is repeated manually. Something important is missing.
Customers, staff, volunteers, family members, users, members or you personally.
Time, cost, frustration, missed opportunities, poor experience, unnecessary effort or an outcome you cannot currently achieve.
LOOK BENEATH THE FIRST ANSWER
What you notice first is not always the thing that actually needs solving.
SYMPTOM
“We need more website traffic.”
POSSIBLE UNDERLYING NEED
“We need more qualified people to book consultations.”
SYMPTOM
“We need new software.”
POSSIBLE UNDERLYING NEED
“We need staff to stop manually copying information between systems.”
SYMPTOM
“We need a new garden.”
POSSIBLE UNDERLYING NEED
“We need an outdoor space that works better for entertaining and young children.”
SYMPTOM
“We need more volunteers.”
POSSIBLE UNDERLYING NEED
“We need the existing volunteer workload to be easier to manage.”
Ask what outcome needs to improve before deciding what the software should be.
DEFINE WHAT BETTER LOOKS LIKE
A clear outcome gives people room to suggest different ways of getting there.
FROM
TO
“We want new clients to know what happens next and our team to spend less time chasing information.”
FROM
TO
“We want an outdoor area with more shade, easier maintenance and space for six people to eat.”
FROM
TO
“We want to reduce repetitive manual work and make information easier to find.”
FROM
TO
“We want volunteers to manage memberships and events without relying on multiple spreadsheets.”
Specific outcomes are useful. Prescribing the software too early is not always necessary.
REAL-WORLD CONSTRAINTS
Do you have a rough budget range or financial limit?
Is there a deadline or important timeframe?
Does the software need to work with something you already use?
Are there size, location, material or environmental limitations?
Who needs to use, approve or maintain the software?
What can you realistically manage yourself?
What absolutely needs to be true?
What would be useful but is not essential?
USEFUL CONTEXT
Knowing what has already been attempted can stop people suggesting the same idea again and helps explain why the Request still matters.
tools you have already tested
services or providers you have already used
temporary workarounds
processes you have changed
advice you have already received
reasons previous approaches did not work
You do not need a perfect history. A few useful details can make the Request much clearer.
KEEP THE CATEGORY OPEN
The same Request could sometimes be solved in very different ways.
REQUEST
software
automation
a better workflow
a template
a packaged service
process redesign
staff training
a combination of approaches
Starting with the Request leaves room for different kinds of Software.
BEYOND SAAS & TOOLS
“We spend too much time manually preparing the same reports.”
“Our volunteers are overwhelmed by membership admin.”
“Our backyard has plenty of space but we rarely use it.”
“We know what our brand should feel like but cannot translate it visually.”
“People visit the site but do not take the next step.”
“We need a safer and more practical storage setup.”
“We need a clearer way to organise and reuse teaching resources.”
“Important information is spread across too many tools.”
WHEN ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE HELPS
It can be useful to involve other people when the Request is clear enough to describe but the possible Software are still uncertain.
The approaches you already know are not solving the Request.
Someone with different experience may know about products, services or approaches you have not considered.
The answer may involve technology, process, design, people or physical changes rather than one obvious category.
You know what needs to improve but want to leave room for different ways of getting there.
TWO WAYS TO START
Traditional marketplaces often begin with something already available. Reverse marketplaces work the other way around by allowing the request or need to be posted first.
Pitchaide supports both approaches. You can browse Software that already exist or post a Request describing what you need before deciding exactly what the answer should be.
“I want to see possible Software.”
Explore things people and businesses have already created, built or packaged.
Explore SaaS & Tools
“I know what needs solving.”
Describe the Request and leave room for different people, products, services or approaches to emerge.
Explore Requests
A PRACTICAL TEMPLATE
1
Describe the current situation.
2
Explain the outcome you want.
3
Identify the people involved.
4
Include timing, budget, existing systems or practical limitations where relevant.
5
Mention previous attempts if they help explain the situation.
EXAMPLE
Our local sports club manages memberships, volunteer shifts and event registrations across several spreadsheets.
We want volunteers to spend less time updating information manually and make it easier for members to know what they need to do.
We have a small volunteer team and cannot maintain a complicated custom system.
We created additional spreadsheets, but this has made the information harder to keep consistent.
Notice that this describes the workflow request without demanding a particular tool.
THE NETWORK CONNECTION
Pitchaide gives people and businesses somewhere to post what they are looking for as a Request, even when they do not yet know what the right Software should be.
Other people can browse public Requests and start an enquiry if they have something relevant to offer, an existing Software or experience that may help.
Post the Request and describe the workflow outcome you need.
Software listings let builders showcase tools they have already built, launched or packaged.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Describe what your workflow needs in a few sentences. Get discovered by indie builders with matching tools.