Scope your fintech product with compliance in the plan, not bolted on

As an architecture decision: which parts of your stack touch cardholder data determines what gets audited. Most builds keep card data out of their own systems entirely by tokenising through a payment provider, and the scope says so explicitly when your description allows it. That single choice shapes the integration layer, the data model, and the audit surface.

If you sell to businesses, SOC 2 questions arrive with your first serious customer. The controls auditors look for (role-based access, audit logging, change management, environment separation) are far cheaper to design in at scoping time than to retrofit, so the document flags them as architectural requirements where your description calls for them.

The free PDF includes an executive summary, functional and non-functional requirements, proposed architecture, data model, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), a suggested team, key risks, and milestones. It's a preliminary planning document.

No. Describe what you're building, who will use it, and the main features. The generator turns your description into a structured project scope document.

The preview appears in seconds. The full PDF typically takes 5-10 minutes to generate and can be delivered to your email.

Yes. The instant preview requires no signup or email. The full PDF is also free and can be delivered to your inbox. Paid development and discovery services are optional.

The generator draws on DBB Software's published engineering materials and checks supporting references. Its recommendations and timelines are preliminary and should be validated during technical discovery.

We use your description to generate the preview and the document. Once you ask for the PDF, DBB Software also uses it to prepare and send the document, as the consent box says, and, only if you tick the optional box, to send you up to two follow-up emails about it and our insights newsletter, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. We don't sell it, and we share it only with the providers we use to run the generator and to handle your request, such as hosting, AI model, monitoring, email and Slack.

We keep a preview for up to a day (7 days if you share it), your request until the document is made and emailed, the document for 7 days so its email link works, and a private copy of it for 90 days. A short excerpt of your description also stays in your visitor profile for 90 days after its last update. To let our AI assistant discuss the scope with you, your request keeps the preview and the first 1,500 characters of your description for 7 days, unless you delete them sooner. If you tick the optional box, the follow-ups are kept until they are sent, for at most 30 days, and a newsletter subscription stays until you unsubscribe or write to in@dbbsoftware.com; our privacy policy has the details.

To delete your data, ask our AI assistant at dbbsoftware.com/chat, which emails you a link to confirm, or write to in@dbbsoftware.com.

We can sign an NDA before any deeper conversation: just ask when you book a call.

The document suggests a team, a milestone plan in weeks, and the risks and assumptions behind them. On request, the PDF also adds an indicative budget range for a new build or an addition to an existing product, an estimate rather than a quote. For a budget range before you start, use our software development cost calculator.

The free document provides an AI-generated preliminary scope of approximately 30 pages. The Discovery Sprint, starting at $1,777, involves senior engineers and an architect who prepare a more detailed Scope & Design Document of approximately 60 pages, wireframes, a prototype, and a cost and time estimate with budget ranges for development.

Yes, as a starting point. The document outlines requirements, architecture, risks, and milestones that can inform a scope of work (SOW). It should be reviewed and agreed upon before being used contractually.

The free document provides a starting point for technical discussions and project planning. For implementation, the Discovery Sprint adds detailed specifications, delivery planning, and development preparation.

It draws on arc42, IEEE 1016, the C4 model, and ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148. Requirements use MoSCoW prioritisation, while technical decisions are documented through Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).

A short, standardised record of one significant technical decision: its context, the options considered, the choice, and the consequences (the pattern popularised by Michael Nygard). They make the reasoning auditable and let a new engineer understand why the system is built the way it is. Each scope document includes the ADRs that matter for your build.

The generator recommends established technologies based on your project's requirements. For web and SaaS applications, this may include:

• Frontend: Next.js / React
• Backend: Node.js (TypeScript) or Python (FastAPI)
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Authentication: Supabase Auth or Auth0 for enterprise SSO
• Caching and queues: Redis, where needed
• Hosting: Vercel, AWS, GCP, Azure, or Cloudflare

Recommendations use current stable releases, with key technical choices and alternatives documented in Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).

Yes. It includes up to three rendered diagrams, usually the system architecture, an entity-relationship diagram (ERD) and a sequence diagram of the main workflow, plus a milestone timeline and, where it applies, a roadmap beyond the MVP. The Discovery Sprint adds a work breakdown, a delivery plan, a RACI matrix and governance.

Where relevant, the document identifies data-handling requirements, security considerations, and applicable frameworks such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2. These are preliminary recommendations, not a compliance assessment or certification.