Before kickoff, clarify:

• ▸Business outcomes and success metrics (not only feature lists)
• ▸Primary users, roles, and access control expectations
• ▸Must-have integrations (ERP, payments, identity, messaging)
• ▸Compliance / data residency / audit requirements
• ▸Current systems to replace, extend, or retire
• ▸Performance, uptime, and support expectations after launch
• ▸Budget band and decision timeline
• ▸Stakeholders who must approve architecture and go-live

Bring this list to your discovery call. We use it to produce a scoped proposal with milestones—not a vague ballpark.