SaaS Scoping Framework | MAMV Ventures

▶ Jump to Phase

01 — Features 02 — Technical 03 — UX Design 04 — Business 05 — Metrics 06 — Risk 07 — Dev Plan Output Template

▶ Overview

▶ What This Is

This framework helps non-technical founders systematically plan SaaS applications before development begins. By working through each phase, you create clear, actionable instructions that Claude Code can execute effectively — no guesswork required.

▶ How to Use It

Work through all 7 phases in order
Fill in your specifics as you go
Use the Output Template at the end
Hand the brief to Claude Code and build
Iterate based on real feedback

Phase 01

Feature Planning & Prioritization Define what you're building and in what order

1.1 — Core Features (MVP)

List only the absolute essential features needed to solve the core problem. For each one, define what it does, why it's essential, and how you'll know it's working.

Feature Template

Feature: [Feature Name]
├── What it does:      [Plain-language description]
├── Why essential:     [Core problem it solves]
└── Success criteria:  [Measurable "done" state]

Keep MVP to 3–5 features maximum
If removing it doesn't break the core loop, it's not MVP
Every feature must have a measurable success criterion

1.2 — User Journey Mapping

For each core feature, map the exact steps a user takes from start to finish. Be sequential and specific — Claude Code will use these to build the flow.

▶ Example — User Registration Flow

User clicks "Sign Up"
User enters email and password
System sends verification email
User clicks verification link
User is redirected to onboarding
User sees dashboard for first time

1.3 — Future Features (Post-MVP Roadmap)

🌱

Phase 2

Nice-to-have features that enhance the core experience after initial validation.

📈

Phase 3

Growth features — retention loops, sharing, collaboration, advanced analytics.

🚀

Someday

Vision features. Log them here so they don't creep into MVP but aren't forgotten.

Phase 02

Technical Requirements & Constraints Data, users, integrations, and performance needs

2.1 — Data & Storage

What data will you store?

User data — profiles, preferences, history
Application data — your core business objects
Files / media — uploads, attachments, assets

Data relationships

How do different data types connect?
What records need to be linked together?
Parent/child relationships between objects?

2.2 — User Access & Permissions

Common User Types

Admin — full control
Regular User — standard access
Guest — read-only or limited
Custom Roles — define for your use case

Permissions Matrix Template

Feature	Admin	User	Guest
View records	Yes	Yes	No
Edit records	Yes	No	No
Delete records	Yes	No	No
Manage users	Yes	No	No

2.3 — Integration Requirements

💳

Payments

Stripe or PayPal? Subscriptions vs. one-time? What currencies?

📧

Email

SendGrid, Postmark, or Resend? Transactional only or marketing too?

📊

Analytics

Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Posthog? What events matter most?

🗂️

Storage

AWS S3 or Cloudinary? File types and size limits?

🔌

External APIs

Will you consume third-party APIs? Or expose your own?

🤝

Webhooks

Real-time events, notifications, Slack/Teams integrations?

2.4 — Performance & Scale

Expected Usage

Users at launch: ___
Users at 6 months: ___
Users at 1 year: ___
Peak concurrent users: ___

Response Time Requirements

Page load target: ___ seconds
Critical operations: ___ ms
File upload/download: acceptable range
Real-time requirements? (chat, live data)

Phase 03

User Experience Design Interface principles, information architecture, key screens

3.1 — Interface Principles

Design Style

Modern/Minimal — clean, lots of whitespace
Professional/Corporate — structured, data-dense
Friendly/Casual — colorful, approachable
Technical/Dev-focused — dark mode, code-adjacent

Key UI Decisions

Navigation: sidebar vs. top nav vs. bottom tabs
Mobile-first or desktop-first?
Accessibility requirements (WCAG level?)
Dark mode support needed?

3.2 — Information Architecture

Navigation Hierarchy

Site Map Template

Home
├── Dashboard
├── [Core Feature 1]
│   ├── List View
│   ├── Detail View
│   └── Create/Edit
├── [Core Feature 2]
│   └── ...
├── Settings
│   ├── Account
│   ├── Billing
│   └── Team
└── Help

3.3 — Key Pages / Screens

For each major screen, define its purpose, what data it shows, what actions a user can take, and how you'll know it's working well.

Screen	Purpose	Key Actions	Success Metric
Dashboard	Overview of activity	Quick-add, navigate	User completes task in <30s
[Feature] List	Browse all records	Filter, sort, open	Finds record in <3 clicks
Settings	Account management	Update info, billing	Self-serve without support

Phase 04

Business Model & Monetization Pricing strategy, billing, and payment setup

4.1 — Pricing Strategy

Model Type

Subscription — monthly or annual recurring
One-time purchase — single payment, lifetime
Freemium — free tier with paid upgrades
Usage-based — pay per API call, seat, action

Pricing Tiers Template

Tier	Price	Key Limits
Free/Trial	$0	X users, Y features
Basic	$X/mo	More of everything
Pro	$X/mo	Full feature set
Enterprise	Custom	White-glove, SLA

4.2 — Payment & Billing Details

Payment Methods

Credit / debit card (Stripe)
PayPal (adds complexity — worth it?)
Invoice / net-30 for enterprise

Billing Features to Define

Trial period — how many days?
Upgrade path — immediate or next cycle?
Downgrade rules — what happens to data?
Refund policy — 30-day? Pro-rated?
Seat-based vs. flat — per user or per account?

Phase 05

Success Metrics & Analytics KPIs, tracking plan, and data-driven decisions

5.1 — Key Performance Indicators

User Metrics

Sign-ups — weekly/monthly new accounts
Activation rate — % who complete key action
DAU / MAU — daily vs. monthly active ratio
Churn rate — % who cancel per month

Business Metrics

MRR — Monthly Recurring Revenue
LTV — Customer Lifetime Value
CAC — Customer Acquisition Cost
LTV:CAC ratio — target 3:1 minimum

5.2 — Analytics Implementation

Events to Track

User signed up / verified
Core feature used (first time)
Core feature used (repeat)
Upgrade initiated / completed
Error encountered (type + frequency)
Session length and depth

Performance Metrics

Page load times by route
API error rates
Database query performance

Phase 06

Risk Assessment & Mitigation Identify what could go wrong and plan for it

6.1 — Technical Risks

Data loss → Automated backups, point-in-time recovery
Security breach → Auth best practices, input sanitization, rate limiting
Downtime → Uptime monitoring, alerting, status page
Scaling bottlenecks → DB indexing, caching strategy, horizontal scaling plan
Third-party failures → Fallbacks for payment, email, storage providers

6.2 — Business Risks

Low adoption → Pre-launch waitlist, beta program, early feedback loops
High churn → In-app feedback, exit surveys, engagement monitoring
Competition → Clear differentiation, niche focus, switching costs
Regulatory / compliance → GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 — know what applies to you
Funding / runway → Revenue targets before runway runs out

Phase 07

Development Approach Tech stack decisions and build timeline

7.1 — Technology Decisions

Layer	Option A	Option B	Best For
Frontend	Next.js (React)	Vue / Nuxt	Next.js: default choice, great ecosystem
Backend	Node.js / Express	Python / FastAPI	Node: stays in JS, Python: AI/ML heavy
Database	PostgreSQL	MongoDB	Postgres: relational data (use Supabase)
Auth	Supabase Auth	NextAuth / Auth.js	Supabase: easiest all-in-one
Hosting	Vercel	AWS / Railway	Vercel: fastest to ship

7.2 — Development Phases

Core Functionality (2–4 weeks) — The single feature that proves your concept. Nothing else.
User Management & Auth (1–2 weeks) — Sign up, login, password reset, email verification.
Payment Integration (1–2 weeks) — Stripe Checkout or Billing Portal. Subscription management.
Polish & Testing (1–2 weeks) — Edge cases, error states, mobile responsiveness, load testing.
Beta Launch — Ship to early users. Collect feedback. Iterate.

▶ Output Template

The Claude Code Brief

After completing all 7 phases, compile your answers into this structured brief. Hand it to Claude Code at the start of your first session.

▶ Project Brief Template — Claude Code

# Project Brief: [Your App Name] ## Executive Summary [2–3 sentences describing what you're building and why] ## Problem & Solution - Problem: [Clear problem statement] - Solution: [How your app solves it] - Target Users: [Who will use this] ## Core Features (MVP) 1. [Feature 1] - Description: [What it does] - User Flow: [Step-by-step process] - Success Criteria: [How we know it works] 2. [Feature 2] - Description: [What it does] - User Flow: [Step-by-step process] - Success Criteria: [How we know it works] ## Technical Requirements - Database Schema: - Users table: [fields] - [Other tables]: [fields] - Authentication: [Requirements] - Integrations: [List external services] - Performance: [Key requirements] ## Design Guidelines - Style: [Design direction] - Key Pages: [List with descriptions] - Mobile: [Responsive requirements] ## Business Logic - User Roles: [Define each role] - Permissions: [Who can do what] - Pricing: [If applicable] ## Success Metrics - [Metric 1]: [Target value] - [Metric 2]: [Target value] ## Development Priorities 1. [Most important feature/functionality] 2. [Second priority] 3. [Third priority] ## Constraints & Considerations - [Any specific limitations] - [Important business rules] - [Compliance requirements]

▶ Best Practices

Working Effectively with Claude Code

🌱

01 — Start Small

Begin with the simplest version of your core feature. Test and validate before adding complexity. Every feature you add is a feature to debug.

🎯

02 — Be Specific

Use concrete examples instead of abstract descriptions. Provide sample data. Include edge cases. "User-friendly" tells Claude nothing.

👤

03 — Think in User Stories

"As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit]." This format gives Claude the context and purpose it needs.

🖼️

04 — Provide Visual References

Sketch wireframes. Share screenshots of apps you like. Describe visual hierarchy — left sidebar, top stats row, main content grid.

✅

05 — Define Success Clearly

What does "working" mean for each feature? How will you test it? What are the acceptance criteria? Be specific.

🔒

06 — Communicate Constraints

Budget limits, timeline requirements, technical preferences, scaling expectations. Claude will optimize for what you tell it matters.

▶ Common Pitfalls

What to Avoid

Feature Creep

Trying to build everything at once. Every added feature multiplies complexity. Ship the core, validate, then expand.

Vague Requirements

"Make it user-friendly" without specifics. Claude will guess — and guessing means revision cycles. Be precise.

Ignoring User Feedback

Building in isolation without showing real users. What you think they want and what they actually need often differ wildly.

Over-Engineering

Complex solutions for simple problems. Your MVP doesn't need microservices, real-time sync, or AI if users just need a form.

Under-Specifying

Not enough detail for Claude to execute. A thin spec leads to thin output. Garbage in, garbage out — every time.

Skipping the Plan

Jumping straight to "build me an app" without this framework. 20 minutes of planning saves 20 hours of rework.

▶ Next Steps

Your Action Plan

▶ Complete This Sequence

Complete the framework Work through all 7 phases for your specific app idea. Download the .md file and fill in your answers.
Create the output brief Compile your answers into the Claude Code brief template. This becomes your first message to Claude.
Review and refine Sleep on it. Revisit with fresh eyes. Show it to a potential user. Remove anything that isn't truly MVP.
Start with Claude Code on the simplest feature first Paste the brief. Build Phase 1 only. Get something running before expanding scope.
Iterate and improve based on results Real feedback beats imagined requirements. Build → show users → learn → adjust. Repeat.

▶ Remember

The clearer your vision and requirements, the better Claude Code can help you build it. Time invested in planning is time saved in development. A 20-minute scoping session prevents 20 hours of rework.

▶ Download the Framework

Enter your info to get the raw Markdown file — fill it in directly, use it as a Claude prompt, or share it with your co-founder.

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SaaS ScopingFramework