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Costing SaaS MVP Scope

Version 1.0

MVP Goal

Enable MSME/SME manufacturers to move from RFQ → defendable cost → quote-ready output faster, consistently, and with margin visibility, using logic they already trust.

Core User Flow

graph LR
    A[RFQ] --> B[Part Setup]
    B --> C[Cost Build]
    C --> D[Review & Override]
    D --> E[Quote Output]
    E --> F[Save Version]

Flow: RFQ → Part Setup → Cost Build → Review & Override → Quote Output → Save Version

Must-Have Features

1️⃣ RFQ & Part Setup

  • Create/import RFQ details
  • Define parts with basic specifications
  • Link customer information

2️⃣ Material Cost Module

  • Material grade selection
  • Weight inputs (gross/net)
  • RM rate management
  • Yield calculation

3️⃣ Routing & Operations Engine

  • Define operation sequence
  • Setup/cycle time inputs
  • Machine hour rate (MHR)
  • Batch size logic

4️⃣ Outside Process Cost

  • External vendor operations
  • Multiple pricing models
  • Minimum charge handling

5️⃣ Scrap & Yield Handling

  • Material-level scrap
  • Operation-level scrap
  • Compounding logic

6️⃣ Manual Overrides

  • Override any cost input
  • Mandatory reason field
  • Before/after comparison

7️⃣ Cost Summary & Explainability

  • Component-wise breakdown
  • Assumption visibility
  • "Why this number?" drill-down

8️⃣ Margin & Pricing Scenarios

  • Base/Aggressive/Safe scenarios
  • Customer-specific margins
  • Freight and terms

9️⃣ Versioning

  • Save multiple versions
  • Track changes
  • Compare versions

🔟 Quote-Ready Output

  • PDF export
  • Excel export
  • Email-ready format

Should-Have Features

Nice to Have, Not Critical

These enhance usability but aren't blockers for launch

Feature Benefit
Excel Import Faster onboarding from existing templates
Defaults Library Common materials/operations presets
Simple User Roles Estimator vs. Admin access

Explicitly Out of Scope

NOT Building in MVP

Resist scope creep—these are future features

  • No ERP integrations
  • No Accounting / GST compliance
  • No CAD-based costing
  • No Tool life modeling
  • No Dashboards & analytics
  • No Approval workflows
  • No Automated pricing decisions

MVP Screen List

# Screen Purpose
1 RFQ List View all RFQs
2 Create RFQ New RFQ entry
3 Part Details Part specifications
4 Material Cost Material cost inputs
5 Routing & Operations Operation sequence
6 Outside Processes External vendor costs
7 Scrap & Yield Scrap configuration
8 Cost Summary Total cost breakdown
9 Overrides & Assumptions Manual adjustments
10 Margin Scenarios Pricing scenarios
11 Version Comparison Compare versions
12 Export / Download Generate outputs

Success Criteria

MVP Success Metrics

Metric Target
Costing time reduction 60-70% faster
Consistency Same inputs = same outputs across estimators
Explainability Every line item traceable
ROI One avoided bad quote pays for the software

Technical Stack Considerations

While not specified in the original scope, for implementation you'll need:

  • Frontend: React/Next.js (for forms and interactive UI)
  • Backend: Node.js/Python (for calculation engine)
  • Database: PostgreSQL (for versioning and audit trails)
  • File handling: Excel import/export libraries