Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for interior designers.
A checklist built from how interior designers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Site measurement and BOQ
- Vendor purchase orders
- Material issue by site
- Site progress with photos
- Stage payments and snag list
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For principal designers and owners
- For designers
- For site supervisors
- For accounts
- For clients
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Budget against actual spend for each project
- Client payments received and due, by project
- Vendor and carpenter dues, with advances already paid
- Approvals waiting on clients and for how long
- Projects behind their milestone dates
- Material ordered but not yet delivered to site
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Accounting package export
- Google Calendar
- Bank transfer and payment gateways
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can it create a BOQ and quotation?
- How are modular kitchens and wardrobes quoted?
- How do client approvals work?
- Is there an app for site supervisors?
- How are carpenter and vendor payments tracked?
- Do the bills reach our accounting software?
- Can current projects be moved from Excel?
- Does it replace SketchUp or AutoCAD?
- Who owns the project data?
- What does it cost?
- When would the studio run a live project on it?
- What should the studio prepare?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Plywood goes to the wrong flat
- BOQ changes never reach the invoice
- Carpenters wait for material
- Snag lists never close
Prefer to talk it through? See the interior designers page.