Agency sent CRM development mockups — what exactly should I be looking for in these screens and diagrams?

Speaking from ten years of PM experience: designers usually mock up the "happy path." They show you clean single-line names and neat two-digit order numbers. Ask them: "What does this screen look like when a customer has 8 branches and 40 open orders?" Real life is messy—if the designs can't handle edge cases, the system will fall apart at launch.

Those flowcharts with boxes are probably entity relationship diagrams. Even if you're non-technical, check this: does the logic on the line connecting the Customer box to the Order box make sense? Can one customer have multiple delivery addresses? If the diagram shows address as a single static box under customer, you won't be able to add a second shipping address later. Don't worry about the tech details, just verify the relationship rules.

Correction: I misremembered the figure, it was a bit lower.

Lay out all the mockups in order and trace the entire lifecycle of a single order. Customer calls, you quote them, it turns into an order, packing slip gets issued. Is there a screen for each of these 4 steps? If any step is missing, the agency either assumed it's an out-of-the-box module or flat-out missed it. Make a punch list and request the missing steps in writing immediately.

we made a similar mistake last year only looked at the main dashboard and charts and everything looked great. turned out they never designed a discount field on the invoicing screen and then billed us extra for out-of-scope work. pay close attention to filter buttons and table scroll areas.

edit: fixed a few typos.

Did the agency send these as static images, or did they provide a clickable prototype link? Without a prototype, it's basically impossible to tell where buttons lead. Also, are there dedicated mobile wireframes, or did they only deliver desktop views?

When we had a similar dashboard built for 24,000 dollars, we approved the mockups in three days, and then for four whole months they kept rejecting our requests saying "but you didn't include this in the design." We ended up paying an extra 3,200 dollars just because of two missing reporting screens. Legally, mockup approval is treated as a delivery condition, so do not rush it.

It's very common for software agencies to download screenshots from template sites and pitch them as "custom design." Do the screens they sent you actually use your company's real terminology, or is it all generic placeholder text? If they haven't used real data, it's not custom-built for you, it's just an off-the-shelf template.

Thanks for posting. Payment schedules should be tied to project phases, not calendar dates.

Thanks for posting. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

Start with a small trial; don't commit to everything at once. If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

i'd appreciate it if you shared the outcome.

Great work. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

Every "we'll look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work. I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down it speeds them up.

Weekly written progress reports are much more useful than asking for dates. Of course it varies if your situation is different.

We need to make a distinction here. The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

im a small business let me explain from my side. when you try to change everything at once, nothhing settles.

ask who prepared the quote and who will actually do the work. just leaving this note, it might be useful.

This thread is archived. Code without setup documentation isn't yours, even if you have it.

When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand. If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I was thinking the same thing. If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.

This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

Three different views emerged, they all complement each other. Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down, it speeds them up.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.