How to prepare technical specifications for a CRM/ERP?

What is a technical specification and why is it needed?

A statement of work (SOW) is a document that formalizes the client's requirements for the future system and records the agreements between the client and the contractor. In IT projects, it serves as a "roadmap": it describes business goals, functional and non-functional requirements, user scenarios, and time and budget constraints. Essentially, a SOW is a common language used by the business and developers to communicate. A SOW is a tool that helps transform ideas and abstract expectations into a concrete action plan understood by all project participants.

Why a project without a technical specification is doomed to errors

The lack of clearly formulated technical specifications leads to typical problems:

• Delays in deadlines. The development team is forced to constantly refine tasks and rework functionality.
• Budget growth. Due to modifications and changes, the project is costing several times more than originally planned.
• Failure to meet expectations. The final CRM or ERP system may not cover key business processes, and therefore may not deliver the expected results.

In other words, without a specification, the project moves chaotically: the client and contractor have different ideas about the end result, which inevitably leads to conflicts and loss of time and money.

Let's look further at how to draw up technical specifications for CRM/ERP step by step.

Stage 1 of preparing the technical specifications: collecting initial information

Business process analysis

Before describing the future system, it's important to understand how the company operates today. During the first stage of developing a specification for an ERP or CRM, key business processes are identified: sales, procurement, inventory control, accounting, and customer interactions. Analysis helps identify bottlenecks – routine operations, duplication of efforts, and data loss – and formulate the tasks that the CRM or ERP should address.

Formulating goals and success metrics

The specifications should answer the question: why is the system being implemented? Goals can vary: increasing sales transparency, reducing costs, speeding up document flow, improving customer service. Each goal should be supported by measurable metrics: order processing time, number of transactions per manager, and request closure speed. This will allow for an objective assessment of the project's effectiveness after launch.

Defining users and roles

A CRM/ERP is a tool that will be used by different categories of employees: sales managers, accountants, department heads, and senior management. It's important to define their roles and access rights in advance: who creates documents, who approves them, and who only sees reports. Clearly delineating authority not only improves ease of use but also ensures data security.

Stage 2. Formation of the structure of the technical specifications

General part

At the beginning of the CRM technical specifications development process, key inputs are defined: the project's purpose, terminology, scope, and potential limitations. This framework provides a framework for the entire development process. It describes the business tasks the system must solve, the standards and regulations it must adhere to, and any technical and organizational constraints (for example, the use of a specific technology stack or integration only with existing infrastructure). When preparing the technical specifications (for example, for a CRM system), we strive to explain the structure as fully as possible and demonstrate how all the necessary functional requirements are formed.

Functional requirements for CRM/ERP

This is the central part of the CRM specification, where the modules and their functionality are described in detail. Examples:

• Sales and clients - transaction tracking, funnel management, communication history.
• Warehouse and logistics - movement of goods, balances, formation of invoices.
• Finance - invoices, acts, payments, debt control.
• Analytics - KPI reports, forecasting, dashboards for management.
• Integrations – connection with ERP, website, marketing tools.

Each module should be described as specifically as possible so that developers understand what scenarios need to be implemented.

Non-functional requirements

In addition to functionality, it is important to specify the system's quality requirements:

• Security – access rights control, personal data protection.
• Scalability – the ability to connect new users and modules without reworking the system.
• Performance - response speed, operation under load, stability under a large number of operations.

UX/UI and usability

For successful implementation, it's not enough to just implement features; it's crucial that they're easy to use. CRM or ERP requirements specifications include interface prototypes and user scenarios. This helps visualize the future system and avoid misunderstandings during development.

Integration with external services

CRM or ERP rarely exist in a vacuum. The specifications define all necessary integrations:

• with telephony (IP telephony, call tracking),
• with accounting systems (for example, 1C),
• with marketplaces and eCommerce platforms,
• with payment services,
• with messengers and chatbots.

Typically, all such integrations are implemented through APIs (REST, GraphQL, SOAP)—the primary data transfer channel between systems. This defines what data can be transferred, in what format, and according to what rules, ensuring predictability and compatibility between different services. The more detailed the integration points are described, the easier it will be for developers to build a unified digital ecosystem without lost data or process disruptions.

Stage 3. Visualization and detailing of requirements

Prototyping (Moqups and similar)

Textual descriptions of features are often interpreted differently. To avoid misunderstandings, interface prototypes created in tools like Moqups, Figma, or Balsamiq are included in the specifications. A prototype shows what the system screens will look like, what controls are available, and how the user navigates the flow. This stage is the easiest to make changes to: editing a prototype is much cheaper than reworking the existing code.

Checklist of functions

To structure requirements, a complete list of CRM/ERP capabilities is compiled. All items are summarized in a table: which functions are mandatory, which are "nice-to-haves," and which can be implemented in subsequent stages. This checklist helps set priorities, align expectations with the business, and subsequently serve as a development control tool.

Video explanation of the terms of reference

A good practice is to supplement the document with a video presentation. A short video demonstrating the prototype and an analyst's explanations facilitates communication between the client and the team and helps quickly onboard new project participants. The video provides context and reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings of important details.

Process automation

In the technical specifications, it is important to describe how key operations will be automated:

• stages of transactions and transitions between them,
• sales funnel operation,
• setting up robots and automatic notifications,
• scenarios for processing orders or applications.

This allows you to test the system's operating logic in advance and make it user-friendly.

UML diagrams and database structure

When developing complex systems, it's essential to capture the architecture of the future CRM/ERP. UML diagrams of classes, use cases, and sequences help visualize the relationships between objects and processes. The database structure describes key entities, their fields, and interrelations. This level of detail reduces the risk of errors during the development phase and simplifies future scalability.

When implementing ready-made solutions, the emphasis is not on architecture design, but on building integration schemes and setting up customizations for the company's business processes.

Stage 4. Coordination and finalization of the technical specifications with the contractor

The role of the customer

At this stage, the client's key task is to carefully review the document. They need to ensure that all business processes are described correctly, the functionality corresponds to real-world needs, and the wording is clear and ambiguous. It's crucial to pay attention to details: user roles, automation rules, and integration scenarios. The more thoroughly the client reviews the specifications now, the fewer conflicts and revisions will be required in the future.

The role of the developer

The implementing team analyzes the document for their own purposes and makes clarifications. The developers assess the technical feasibility of the requirements, propose alternative solutions to optimize costs or schedules, and highlight potential risks. Furthermore, specialists can supplement the requirements specification with architectural diagrams and suggest tools or ready-made integrations that will speed up development.

Final fixation

Once all comments and amendments have been agreed upon, the document is approved by both parties. The final version of the specifications becomes the working basis for the project: they are used for budget calculations, time planning, and project outcome evaluation. It's important to note that the specifications can also serve as a legal document, but only if approved by both parties and included as an appendix to the contract.

Typical mistakes when drafting technical specifications

Not enough specifics

One of the main problems is overly broad statements like "the system should be user-friendly" or "the CRM should accelerate sales." Such requirements are impossible to verify and impossible to implement reliably. As a result, developers interpret them in their own way, and the client receives something different from what they expected. To avoid this, each requirement should be specific and measurable: for example, "page load time should be no more than 2 seconds" or "new request notifications should reach the manager within 30 seconds."

Ignoring non-functional requirements

Often, specifications only detail functional requirements, neglecting parameters such as performance, security, scalability, and fault tolerance . This can lead to a system that appears to work, but then slows down or creates risks of data leakage as the number of users increases. Non-functional requirements directly impact stability and future operating costs, so they must be captured from the outset.

Lack of visualization

A textual description of even the most detailed specifications doesn't always provide a complete understanding. Without interface prototypes, business process diagrams, or UML diagrams, the client and developers may have different understandings of the final result. This leads to multiple revisions at later stages, when changes are costly. Visualization is a simple tool that helps align expectations early on and "see" the future system before programming begins.

Conclusion

A well-prepared specification ensures process transparency, makes deadlines and budgets predictable, and guarantees that the final system will truly solve business problems.

When goals, functional requirements, user roles, prototypes, and workflows are clearly defined in a document, the client and contractor have a common language and a shared focus. This reduces the risk of errors, speeds up implementation, and increases the chances of the system being accepted and actively used by employees.

Our team helps prepare and approve technical specifications, including prototypes, checklists, and visualizations. If you need technical specifications developed, our team is ready to assist.