How to guarantee the developer won't steal the idea?

[AustinS28]

You can PM me and I can send you an NDA I had a lawyer make.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vigilante]

You can PM me and I can send you an NDA I had a lawyer make.

Can you post a generic/cleaned up copy here? Many could probably use a form NDA contract.

 

[WarriorV]

If your idea is for your country I wouldnt worry about a guy in India copying it. You need to worry about developers from your country.

But, in my opinion, they are also the best to work with because you can meet them in person and work with them more closely.

I was writing some tips for you but I didn't hire developers, I partnered with them so its a little different. Good luck!

I think I'll have to work with someone from my country for this type of service. Please, if you'd still like to write the tips, I would appreciate it very much!

 

[WarriorV]

IM going to make this really simple with my opinion.. ideas are worth shit. Every thing is execution. Any thing can be sold, you just need to find a market for it.

Business is about building relationships, and trust acts as a key anchor to that relationship. Non-discosures can always be a good idea.

What you do, is create an employment contract if all parties wish to move forward, stating that all creations and work done would be owned by "X" company name. That way, if he leaves his work completed is company property and can't take it else where. With this in mind, also inform the person what he does not get in the deal. It's important to state both what each party can get but also what is not included.

Hopefully this helps

It does help, thank you for it!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ankerstein17]

It does help, thank you for it!

If you need any other help of any sort let me know. I might have some non-disclosures available and templates that I paid for back in March. You can use alot of great resources that will give you templates such as Law Depot. Message me if you need any help, and I can give you assistance

 

[WarriorV]

on that note...I use developers in Pakistan and am based in the US. I have a sales employee in Pakistan who is able to drive to the developer's house and yell at them if need be. (we've needed to do this on more than a few occasions). I also have a developer in Portugal that is amazing to work with. I have no one else in Portugal, and have basically gotten lucky with this particular guy.

What I'm saying is: if you're not hiring local, make absolute sure that you check a bunch of references, and are completely convinced of their ability to perform before you hire them. Not only can you lose money, but you can lose months worth of time if you involve the wrong people on your project.

The service I want to provide is directed towards businesses and needs to be in Brazilian Portuguese. It also needs to comply with some regulations, which is the main reason why I think working with someone abroad would be too much trouble.

EDIT: I might be wrong though, it's something I'm assuming.

 

[AustinS28]

Can you post a generic/cleaned up copy here? Many could probably use a form NDA contract.

Yea, I don't have microsoft word and this won't let me upload a document from pages so here it is copy and pasted....

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

July ___, 2016


Address Line 1: _________________________

Address Line 2: _________________________

City: _________________________

Sate/Region/Province: _________________________

Country: _________________________

Zip Code: _________________________





Re: Confidentiality Agreement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are prepared to share with _________________________(the “Recipient”) certain information regarding the business and operations of _________________________(the “Company”) and other Confidential Information in connection with certain advice, assistance and other services that the Recipient may provide relating to a potential transaction concerning the Company. As a condition to Confidential Information being furnished to the Recipient and its Representatives, the Recipient agrees that any information concerning the Company (irrespective of the form of communication) that has been or will be furnished to the Recipient or its Representatives by or on behalf of the Company will be treated in accordance with the provisions of this letter agreement (this “Agreement”) and to take or abstain from taking certain other actions hereinafter set forth. The term “Representatives” of a party includes such party and its and its affiliates’ directors, members, shareholders, partners, officers, affiliates, employees, agents and advisors (including, without limitation, attorneys, accountants, consultants and financial advisors).

1. Confidential Information. The term “Confidential Information” means all, or any part of, and originals or copies of, any information (in any form or media, whether electronic, paper or oral) received from the Company or its Representatives, including, but not limited to, (a) the fact that investigations, discussions or negotiations are taking place by or with the Recipient; (b) the fact that the Recipient or its Representatives have received Confidential Information from the Company, that Confidential Information has been made available by the Company or any of the terms, conditions or other facts with respect to the Company, including the status thereof; (c) information concerning the Company and its affiliates’ past, current, and planned products, business plans, services, fees, concepts, methodologies, research, projects, budgets, corporate structures and governance, services, business activities, marketing plans, trade secrets, intellectual property, data, information relating to customers, suppliers, employees, development programs, strategies to be implemented, costs, trading, investment, sales activities, pricing policies, promotions, operational methods, credit and financial data and statements, profits, financing methods, plans, product specifications, computer software, database technologies, market studies and information, client lists, programs, engineering, documentation, applications, source code, designs, drawings, know-how, processes, machines, inventions (whether patentable or not), research projects, notes, blueprints, test results, and all other proprietary information (including proprietary information received by the Company from third parties under obligations of confidence); and (d) any information in any form that contains, reflects or is based upon, in whole or in part, the foregoing (including any and all notes, memoranda, summaries, compilations, analyses or other documents prepared by the Recipient or its Representatives), but excludes: (i) information that at the time of disclosure was, or thereafter becomes, part of the public domain (through a source other than the Recipient or a Representative of the Recipient) other than as a result of a breach of this Agreement by the Recipient or its Representatives; and (ii) information lawfully obtained from a source other than the Company or its Representatives that, to the actual knowledge of the Recipient, was not under, and did not impose, an obligation of confidentiality with respect to such information.

2. Treatment of Confidential Information.

(a) The Recipient shall (i) use Confidential Information only for the purpose of providing advice, assistance and related services in connection with a potential transaction concerning the Company; (ii) not copy any Confidential Information except to provide copies to its Representatives (subject to clause (iv) below) or as expressly permitted in writing by the Company; (iii) not disclose Confidential Information to any person (other than its Representatives, subject to clause (iv) below) except (A) as required by applicable law, regulation, legal or judicial process or any regulator or supervisory authority having jurisdiction over the Recipient, and as provided in Section 2(b) below, or (B) to a person expressly permitted in writing by the Company and then only if such person has executed a non-disclosure agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Company; and provided, that Recipient shall be responsible for any breach of this Agreement by such third parties (such responsibility shall be in addition to and not by way of limitation of any right or remedy the Company may have against such third parties with respect to any such breach); (iv) limit dissemination of Confidential Information to its Representatives on a “need to know” basis, but only to the extent necessary to evaluate or carry out its evaluation of the Company and only to Representatives who are obligated to maintain the confidentiality of such information to the same extent as the Recipient (and the Recipient shall be responsible for any breach of this Agreement by its Representatives, such responsibility to be in addition to and not by way of limitation of any right or remedy the Company may have against such Representatives of the Recipient with respect to any such breach); (v) not remove or obscure proprietary rights notices that appear on Confidential Information and copies thereof; and (vi) advise the Company immediately of any unauthorized disclosure or use of Confidential Information actually known by the Recipient. Neither the Recipient nor its Representatives shall retain or use for its account at any time any trade names, trademark or other proprietary business designation used or owned in connection with the business of the Company except to the extent permitted by the Company. As used in this Agreement, the term “person” will be interpreted broadly to include any corporation, company, group, partnership or any other entity or individual.

(b) The Recipient shall safeguard the confidentiality of the Confidential Information using the same standard it employs to safeguard its own confidential information of like kind, but in no event less than a commercially reasonable standard of care. Except with regard to its Representatives, the Recipient agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Company, neither it nor any of its Representatives will disclose to any other person (i) the fact that any investigations, discussions or negotiations are taking place concerning the Company (including its business or operations), (ii) the fact that it and/or any of its Representatives have received Confidential Information from the Company or that Confidential Information has been made available by the Company, or (iii) any of the terms, conditions or other facts with respect to the Company, including the status thereof, except that the Recipient may make such disclosure if, upon the advice of counsel, such disclosure must be made in order to comply with applicable law, regulation or legal or judicial process. If the Recipient or any of its Representatives becomes legally compelled (including by deposition, interrogatory, request for documents, subpoena, civil investigative demand or similar process) to disclose any of the Confidential Information, the Recipient shall provide the Company with prompt prior written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy. If such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, the Recipient and its Representatives may disclose the requested Confidential Information; provided, that the Recipient and its Representative will only disclose that portion of the Confidential Information that it is advised by counsel is legally required to be disclosed and will take all commercially reasonable steps to preserve the confidentiality of the Confidential Information (including cooperating with the Company’s efforts to obtain an appropriate protective order or other reliable assurance that confidential treatment will be accorded the Confidential Information). In addition, the Recipient and its Representatives will not oppose any action (and will, if and to the extent requested by the Company, cooperate with, assist and join with the Company in any reasonable action) by the Company to obtain an appropriate protective order or other reliable assurance that confidential treatment will be accorded the Confidential Information.

(c) If the Company so directs in writing (whether or not the Recipient determines to invest in the Fund), the Recipient and its Representatives will promptly (and in any event no later than 10 business days following the Company’s written demand): (i) as elected by the Company, either return to the Company or destroy all Confidential Information and all copies thereof furnished to the Recipient or its Representatives by or on behalf of the Company pursuant hereto, (ii) destroy all copies of all other Confidential Information prepared by the Recipient or its Representatives, and (iii) expunge, to the extent practicable, all such Confidential Information from any computer, word processor or other device containing such information; provided, that the Recipient shall not be obligated to return, destroy or expunge Confidential Information maintained in accordance with its legal and regulatory compliance, security and/or disaster recovery procedures or as otherwise required by applicable law or regulation; and provided, that such information will continue to be maintained in confidence in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Compliance by the Recipient and its Representatives with this Section 2(c) shall, at the request of the Company, be certified in writing to the Company by the Recipient’s authorized officer supervising such destruction. Notwithstanding the return or destruction of the Confidential Information, the Recipient will continue to be bound by its confidentiality and other obligations hereunder.

3. No Representations or Warranties. None of the Company or any of its Representatives is making any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the Confidential Information, and none of the Company or any of its Representatives will have any liability to the Recipient, its Representatives or any other person relating to or resulting from their use of the Confidential Information or any errors therein or omissions therefrom.

4. No License or Conveyance. The Recipient acknowledges that the Confidential Information is and shall remain the property of the Company. Nothing in this Agreement shall convey to the Recipient or its Representatives any right, title, interest or license in or to any Confidential Information, materials, other information received from the Company, or any trademark, trade name, or any other intellectual property rights of the Company. Only those representations or warranties that are made by the Company in a final definitive agreement regarding a transaction, when, as and if executed, and subject to such limitations and restrictions as may be specified therein, will have any legal effect.

5. Injunctive Relief; Waiver.

(a) The Recipient agrees that the conditions in this Agreement and the Confidential Information disclosed pursuant to this Agreement are of a special, unique, and extraordinary character, that the Company may be irreparably harmed by any disclosure of the Confidential Information to a third party in violation of this Agreement, and that the use of the Confidential Information for the business purposes of (i) the Recipient other than in connection with evaluating a potential transaction with the Company or (ii) any third party, would enable the Recipient or third party to compete unfairly with the Company. For these reasons, the Recipient waives any claim or defense that the Company has an adequate remedy at law and the Recipient agrees that the Company shall be entitled to seek equitable relief to prevent further use and/or disclosure in addition to all other remedies available to the Company in law or in equity for any breach of this Agreement.

(b) The Recipient agrees that no failure or delay by the Company in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any right, power or privilege hereunder.

6. Indemnity. The Recipient shall indemnify the Company and its affiliates for any losses or damages, including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, arising out of any breach of the Recipient’s (or its Representatives) obligations hereunder or the unauthorized use or release of the Confidential Information by the Recipient or its Representatives.

7. Assignment. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Company, the Recipient and each of their respective successors and permitted assigns and shall inure to the benefit of the Company, the Recipient and each of their respective successors and permitted assigns; provided, however, that the Recipient shall not assign this Agreement, nor any of its obligations hereunder, to any third party without the prior written consent of the Company.

8. Headings. Headings used in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be used in the interpretation of this Agreement.

9. Governing Law; Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. The Parties hereby irrevocably consent to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state or federal courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, over any and all disputes, actions or proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

10. Miscellaneous. If any provision of this Agreement is declared void or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed from this Agreement, which shall otherwise remain in full force and effect, but only to the extent that the original intent of this Agreement would not be altered in any material respect. This Agreement may be amended only by a writing executed by both parties. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Company and the Recipient with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements with respect thereto.

11. Executed Copies and Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed as facsimile or .PDF originals and each copy of this Agreement bearing the facsimile or electronically transmitted signature of either party’s authorized representative shall be deemed to be an original. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.

12. Term. This Agreement shall terminate three years after the date first written above.

Please confirm your agreement with the foregoing by signing and returning one copy of this Agreement to the undersigned, whereupon this Agreement shall become a binding agreement between the Recipient and the Company.



Very truly yours,


On behalf of the Company


Signature: _________________________

Name: _________________________

Title: _________________________


Accepted and agreed to by the Recipient
as of the date first written above:


Signature: _________________________

Name: _________________________

Title: _________________________

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[csalvato]

for F*cks sake no one is stealing ideas

 

[Chris Kelsey]

@Chris Kelsey your thoughts?

@WarriorV

Hello guys, I'm new to the Forum and very excited to enter the Fastlane.

I have an idea for a software that can be sold based on subscription.


I want to hire someone to develop it so I can launch it before the year is over, my biggest doubt is:

How do I make sure the developer won't steal the business idea for himself?
I'm learning programming, but still at the very basic. If I just learn everyday to develop it, I won't have time to work on the marketing, research, network, etc.

I've been thinking about starting my own business for a while now, a few weeks ago I finished reading The Millionaire Fastlane . This will be my first experience. Any advice is very welcome!

If this has been asked before, please redirect me to the thread. I searched for it but found nothing.

Ok so in all fairness, despite what you might hear, NDAs don't really do anything. They can help in some instances but in most cases it can be easily stolen. For example, if a developer wanted to hear your idea and signed an NDA, and even made specific about the concept that he wouldn't take it, he could have his friend be the owner of the company that steals the idea, and it would be very hard to prove otherwise. With that being said, there's a still a chance you could get something out of it but it's very unlikely.

At the end of the day, the best way to do it would be to not tell him the entire concept, but just give him different pieces of information in terms of functionality, but don't give them the full idea. It's similar to how Apple works, you aren't allowed to talk about what you're working on and each employee only receives a certain amount of information so that their concepts can't be copied. I would suggest a similar way of doing this.

BUT, realistically people don't steal ideas as much as you think, and even if they did, it's all about execution. You have to take into account what kind of person they are and how much you trust them. Just because they can code it doesn't mean they can market it. There's a VERY small amount of ideas that are actually better not to share.

In reality, what you ACTUALLY have to be careful about sharing is the actual plan of how you will market/sell it, the idea of the product itself isn't a big deal (most of the time).

Feel free to PM me or add me on Skype if you have any more questions. I've been through the process a billion times.

 

[Andy Black]

Hello guys, I'm new to the Forum and very excited to enter the Fastlane.

I have an idea for a software that can be sold based on subscription.

I want to hire someone to develop it so I can launch it before the year is over, my biggest doubt is:

How do I make sure the developer won't steal the business idea for himself?

I'm learning programming, but still at the very basic. If I just learn everyday to develop it, I won't have time to work on the marketing, research, network, etc.

I've been thinking about starting my own business for a while now, a few weeks ago I finished reading The Millionaire Fastlane . This will be my first experience. Any advice is very welcome!

If this has been asked before, please redirect me to the thread. I searched for it but found nothing.

Welcome to the forum @WarriorV

You've had a lot of great advice already in this thread!



Here's what I picked up on: you're "very excited to enter the Fastlane", "have an idea", and "This will be my first experience".


Overthinking is the art of trying to solve problems you don't have yet. We're all guilty of it at some time or another, and it's one of the biggest ways we get in their own way.

Are you able to get some sort of sale or customer first, then worry about building something, then worry about how to get it built?



A red flag for me is when a potential clients tells me they "have an idea" (upgrade to facepalm if they "have an idea for an app" or any other "channel" rather than business).

A bigger red flag for me is if they want me to sign an NDA before we speak. Thankfully that doesn't happen much, but I'd politely refuse tbh. I'd see that as another red flag that they're too tied to their "idea", and likely won't be flexible enough to adapt to market feedback, or any feedback from me. (We're talking businesses in startup phase, not established enterprises with lots of data and IP - those I expect an NDA from.)

Finally, I've hired a dev guy and I haven't asked him to sign an NDA. I explain as best I can what my big vision is, and that does a few of things:

1) Helps him buy into the vision and stay longer. The ROI on continuity is high.

2) When he understands the WHAT and the WHY of what I'm trying to do, he can engage his specific skills and experience to come up with a better HOW than I ever could specify for him.

3) It shows him that there's a LOT more to this than just a bit of software. Counter-intuitively, by giving more information away, I help clients and my team understand that there is even more going on that they aren't aware of, and all the better to stick with me.


Abundance mindset vs scarcity mindset.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[luniac]

An "idea" is not NDA worthy.

I took Software Engineering class in college which had us create a piece of software from start to finish. The entire first half of the semester was basically creating the Design Document.

It helps if you can "tech speak" but basically you need to create an in depth document describing the look and function of your software.
I should be able to answer ANY question about the software by reading the document.
If I were interested in outsourcing, creating an epic design document would be STEP 1, before i even contact anyone.

Unlike an "idea" which are a dime a dozen, a well made Design Document HAS VALUE!, because it contains the results of countless hours of thought and difficult decisions, now that's worth an NDA and all the other protections i don't know about.

Shit... a great design document is like a movie script, if it's great you can pitch it to investors and get funding!

Here is a copy and paste of the Table of Contents of the design document my team made in college for a multi user text editing application:

Table of Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 Purpose 4
1.2 Scope 4
1.3 Definition, Acronyms, and Abbreviations 4
1.4 Overview 5
1.5 References 5
2 Overall Description 6
2.1 Use Case Diagram 6
2.2 Use Case Description 7
2.3 Assumptions and Dependencies 8
3 Specification Requirements 8
3.1 Collaboration Diagram 8
3.2 System State Diagram 18
3.3 ER Class Diagram 19
3.4 Supplementary Software Requirements 19
4 Detailed Pseudo Code 20
4.1 Classes 20
4.2 GUI 23
5 Supporting Information 24
5.1 User Interface Screenshots 24

here's a picture of a use case diagram describing the users roles(admin,guest,user)

Here's a pic of a collaboration diagram describing how "registration" works

And a description underneath:
1. GU fills out the registration application and clicks “submit”.
2. Submitted data is processed in the Application Processor.
3. The Application Processor sends data to the System User Database to create new OU.
4. The data is sent back to the Application Processor.
5. The data is sent to the Browse interface.
6. The GU is informed that the application will be processed by a SU.

Exceptional Case:
1. The GU fills out registration application and clicks “submit”.
2. Submitted data is processed in the Application Processor.
7. The data was incorrect and is returned to the Registration interface.
8. GU is informed about his incorrect information and is requested to fix it.

Here's a picture of the System State Diagram describing the overall software flow:


Here's a basic example of a user interface screenshot just to give a visual idea of the software:



Now keep in mind, the stuff i posted is half assed work for a college class , we all just wanted to GTFO.
For a real idea that you believe in are willing and able to put some $$$ into, you better whip up a damn fine Design Document, cause it'll save you a ton of headaches down the line such as "misunderstandings" and $$$.

 

[Ninjakid]

I was worried mainly because of what limitless said; I think I'll have to work with someone from my country.

I'll add to this by saying I've done work for startups which were basically blatant ripoffs of existing startups. Whenever you come up with an idea that you think is unique, trust me it's not.

 

[healthstatus]

What you need to be worried about is someone beating you to market while you screw around with NDA crap that you don't have the money to enforce if someone broke it. It's your idea, your fire should drive it, that drive should be higher and hotter than anybody that you would outsource to and if they steal it just kick their a$$ in the market.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[HoneyBadger]

What you need to be worried about is someone beating you to market while you screw around with NDA crap that you don't have the money to enforce if someone broke it. It's your idea, your fire should drive it, that drive should be higher and hotter than anybody that you would outsource to and if they steal it just kick their a$$ in the market.

Yeah, speed to market is definitely going to impact your business overall way more than an NDA but if he is spending more than five minutes on getting the NDA signed something is up. A user has already copy and pasted one from a lawyer and strictly speaking outside of an employment contract it is the only legal way to do what he is saying (although people can and do break the law so it is not bulletproof).

Ultimately I agree with the notion, sitting around worrying about your idea being stolen in terms of digital businesses is the same as sitting around worrying about ways to prevent your lawn mower from getting stolen if you were planning to start a lawn maintenance company. It is just not the point of business and counterproductive to actually getting in the weeds.

 

[WarriorV]

Hi guys, thank you all for so much help. I'll reply to some of it:

Welcome to the forum @WarriorV

You've had a lot of great advice already in this thread!



Here's what I picked up on: you're "very excited to enter the Fastlane", "have an idea", and "This will be my first experience".


Overthinking is the art of trying to solve problems you don't have yet. We're all guilty of it at some time or another, and it's one of the biggest ways we get in their own way.

Are you able to get some sort of sale or customer first, then worry about building something, then worry about how to get it built?



A red flag for me is when a potential clients tells me they "have an idea" (upgrade to facepalm if they "have an idea for an app" or any other "channel" rather than business).

A bigger red flag for me is if they want me to sign an NDA before we speak. Thankfully that doesn't happen much, but I'd politely refuse tbh. I'd see that as another red flag that they're too tied to their "idea", and likely won't be flexible enough to adapt to market feedback, or any feedback from me. (We're talking businesses in startup phase, not established enterprises with lots of data and IP - those I expect an NDA from.)

Finally, I've hired a dev guy and I haven't asked him to sign an NDA. I explain as best I can what my big vision is, and that does a few of things:

1) Helps him buy into the vision and stay longer. The ROI on continuity is high.

2) When he understands the WHAT and the WHY of what I'm trying to do, he can engage his specific skills and experience to come up with a better HOW than I ever could specify for him.

3) It shows him that there's a LOT more to this than just a bit of software. Counter-intuitively, by giving more information away, I help clients and my team understand that there is even more going on that they aren't aware of, and all the better to stick with me.


Abundance mindset vs scarcity mindset.

You're right, and I plead guilty of overthinking. This has been a problem for me all my life, I struggle to make decisions and I hate being like this.
Hopefully diving into the abundant Fastlane mindset will change that.

I can't get sales yet, but I will offer pre-orders for the service.

You said when a client comes to you, are you a consultant? No need to answer if you don't want to haha.

I loved what you said in number 2, about the WHAT and the WHY. I have a partner who is more experienced and I'll think these out with him, so that our vision can be very clear and not some blurry idea. Then I'll be closer to making those pre-order offers.

Soon I'll create a thread to post my progress (that's allowed, right?). Being held accountable by the forum will make for even more motivation.

Thank you for the advice! This thread has helped me way more than I expected.

An "idea" is not NDA worthy.

I took Software Engineering class in college which had us create a piece of software from start to finish. The entire first half of the semester was basically creating the Design Document.

It helps if you can "tech speak" but basically you need to create an in depth document describing the look and function of your software.
I should be able to answer ANY question about the software by reading the document.
If I were interested in outsourcing, creating an epic design document would be STEP 1, before i even contact anyone.

Unlike an "idea" which are a dime a dozen, a well made Design Document HAS VALUE!, because it contains the results of countless hours of thought and difficult decisions, now that's worth an NDA and all the other protections i don't know about.

Shit... a great design document is like a movie script, if it's great you can pitch it to investors and get funding!

Here is a copy and paste of the Table of Contents of the design document my team made in college for a multi user text editing application:

Table of Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 Purpose 4
1.2 Scope 4
1.3 Definition, Acronyms, and Abbreviations 4
1.4 Overview 5
1.5 References 5
2 Overall Description 6
2.1 Use Case Diagram 6
2.2 Use Case Description 7
2.3 Assumptions and Dependencies 8
3 Specification Requirements 8
3.1 Collaboration Diagram 8
3.2 System State Diagram 18
3.3 ER Class Diagram 19
3.4 Supplementary Software Requirements 19
4 Detailed Pseudo Code 20
4.1 Classes 20
4.2 GUI 23
5 Supporting Information 24
5.1 User Interface Screenshots 24

1. GU fills out the registration application and clicks “submit”.
2. Submitted data is processed in the Application Processor.
3. The Application Processor sends data to the System User Database to create new OU.
4. The data is sent back to the Application Processor.
5. The data is sent to the Browse interface.
6. The GU is informed that the application will be processed by a SU.

Exceptional Case:
1. The GU fills out registration application and clicks “submit”.
2. Submitted data is processed in the Application Processor.
7. The data was incorrect and is returned to the Registration interface.
8. GU is informed about his incorrect information and is requested to fix it.

Now keep in mind, the stuff i posted is half assed work for a college class , we all just wanted to GTFO.
For a real idea that you believe in are willing and able to put some $$$ into, you better whip up a damn fine Design Document, cause it'll save you a ton of headaches down the line such as "misunderstandings" and $$$.

Wow, that was awesome. After 3 years of Electrical Engineering, I have just switched my major to Computer Engineering and had fun seeing a bit of what's to come.

I'll make a detailed document of what NEEDS to be on the software, then also write some features that would be good to have but are not priority. Maybe I can write a Design Document myself, the software isn't complicated.

From all you said, I can see how crucial it is and I definitely can't waste the money I have with misunderstandings.
Thank you very much!

Yeah, speed to market is definitely going to impact your business overall way more than an NDA but if he is spending more than five minutes on getting the NDA signed something is up. A user has already copy and pasted one from a lawyer and strictly speaking outside of an employment contract it is the only legal way to do what he is saying (although people can and do break the law so it is not bulletproof).

Ultimately I agree with the notion, sitting around worrying about your idea being stolen in terms of digital businesses is the same as sitting around worrying about ways to prevent your lawn mower from getting stolen if you were planning to start a lawn maintenance company. It is just not the point of business and counterproductive to actually getting in the weeds.

Thank you, I agree and see the importance of speed. I'm keeping that in mind to make this work.

 

[WarriorV]

One more thing:

Being very new at this, I am a little overwhelmed with the amount of information available on sales and marketing.
I want to start acting on it but also keep reading on the side to learn more practical strategies that can be put to work immediately.

Can you give me any advice on this? I assume copywriting is a huge deal, I've looked through a lot of threads on it.
Would the 15-day copywriting challenge be a good way to start? I saw stuff about the Gary Halbert letter, but that would take way too much time.

I also have an eye on @Andy Black 's links for AdWords.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[HoneyBadger]

One more thing:

Being very new at this, I am a little overwhelmed with the amount of information available on sales and marketing.
I want to start acting on it but also keep reading on the side to learn more practical strategies that can be put to work immediately.

Can you give me any advice on this? I assume copywriting is a huge deal, I've looked through a lot of threads on it.
Would the 15-day copywriting challenge be a good way to start? I saw stuff about the Gary Halbert letter, but that would take way too much time.

I also have an eye on @Andy Black 's links for AdWords.

As a recovering wantrapreneur I can tell you it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to perfect something before you have ever even done it. To tie it back into the lawn mowing analogy I gave earlier it is like studying how to make your truck magnet more appealing to customers before you have even mowed your first yard. Worry about the tuning once you actually have something up and going otherwise you can fall into 'analysis paralysis' and kill time that you could've been putting actual work to making money or worse - you start buying courses and products to solve a problem you don't even have yet.

 

[Ankerstein17]

for F*cks sake no one is stealing ideas

Like i said, ideas are worth nothing. EXECUTION is every thing