Why projects overrun without a specification

The client pictures one thing, the team understands another. It is the most common problem in software projects.

What happens

"We need an inventory system" means something different to everyone. Will barcodes be scanned? How many warehouses? Are goods tracked by batch?

When these questions surface after the code is written, the work has to be redone.

How to avoid it

A specification asks those questions upfront. The document describes every screen, every report and every user role.

The client reads and approves it. After that nobody says "I meant something else" — because it is written down.

How long it takes

One to two weeks for an average project. That time is repaid many times over later.