Why Projects Go Sideways?
(Even With Good Developers)
Here’s the thing.
Most projects don’t fail because the code is bad.
They fail because nobody agreed on what they were building in the first place.
- One person thinks it’s an MVP.
- Another thinks it’s production-ready.
- Design imagines magic.
- Engineering imagines constraints.
- Clients imagine something else entirely.
At DigitalBKK, we’ve seen this too many times. So we standardized a simple starter kit that works for startups, agencies, internal teams, and even non-technical founders.
This guide breaks it down in plain English. Developers will feel safe. Non-tech people will finally understand what’s going on.
What Are These Documents Actually Called?
You’ll hear many names:
- Blueprints
- Planning docs
- Product docs
- Technical specs
- Design docs
The correct umbrella term is: Project Documentation
Think of it as a shared brain for the project. Not paperwork. Not bureaucracy. Just clarity.
The Practical “Starter Pack” That Keeps Teams Sane
If you want the smallest set that still prevents mid-project confusion, use this 6-document starter pack.
This is enough for 90% of projects.
1. Project Brief (1 Page Only)
Audience: Everyone
Goal: Alignment
This is the “why are we even doing this?” document.
Keep it short. One page max.
What it includes
What problem are we solving
Who is this for
What success looks like
What is explicitly out of scope
Timeline and constraints
Example (simple)
“We are building a booking system for a yoga studio so customers can book classes online without calling.”
If someone new joins the project, this is the first thing they read.
2. PRD (Product Requirements Document)
Audience: Product, devs, stakeholders
Goal: Define what gets built
This is where ideas become decisions.
A PRD answers:
What features exist
How they behave
What happens in edge cases
Beginner-friendly explanation
PRD is a detailed to-do list written in human language.
Typical sections
User roles (admin, customer, staff)
Core features
User stories
Acceptance criteria
What is not included (very important)
No PRD usually means feature creep and endless “small changes.”
3. UX Flows or Wireframes
Audience: Designers, devs, clients
Goal: Visual clarity
This doesn’t need to be fancy.
Even black-and-white boxes are fine.
What it shows
Screen flow
User journeys
Button placement logic
Navigation structure
Why this matters
People understand visuals faster than text. This is where misunderstandings get caught early, before code exists.
Tools can be anything. Figma, Whimsical, even paper sketches.
4. Technical Design Document
Audience: Developers
Goal: Engineering clarity
This is where developers stop guessing.
What it includes
Tech stack (frontend, backend, database)
Architecture overview
Auth approach
Deployment setup
Performance considerations
Plain English version
This doc explains how the system is built, not what it looks like.
Without this, devs make assumptions. Assumptions become bugs.
5. API Specification
Audience: Frontend, backend, integrations
Goal: Contract between systems
If your system has frontend and backend, you need this.
What it defines
Endpoints
Request and response formats
Error handling
Auth requirements
Even a simple table is enough.
This prevents the classic
“Frontend thought this field exists” problem.
6. Data Model (ERD + Notes)
Audience: Backend, data, QA
Goal: Data sanity
This is the most skipped document and the most painful to fix later.
What it includes
Database entities
Relationships
Key fields
Notes about constraints
Beginner explanation
This shows how data is stored and how things connect.
Bonus: ADRs (Architecture Decision Records)
You don’t write these upfront. You write them as you go.
What is an ADR?
A short note explaining why a technical decision was made.
Example:
Why we chose PostgreSQL over MySQL
Why we moved auth to a third-party service
Six months later, this saves hours of “why did we do this?” discussions.
The Noob-Friendly Summary
If all of this sounds scary, remember this:
Brief = why
PRD = what
UX = how it feels
Tech doc = how it works
API spec = how parts talk
Data model = how data lives
That’s it.
Common Mistakes We See (And Fix)
Starting development without a PRD
Designing screens without thinking about data
Letting clients approve visuals but not logic
Treating docs as “optional”
Updating code but not updating docs
Docs are not extra work. They are risk control.
How DigitalBKK Uses This in Real Projects
At DigitalBKK, every project starts with this starter kit, whether it’s:
An MVP
A mobile app
A backend-heavy platform
An internal system
We scale the depth, not the structure.
This keeps budgets predictable and timelines realistic.
Final Thoughts
Good documentation doesn’t slow you down.
It removes uncertainty.
If your project feels confusing halfway through, it usually means the foundation was unclear.
If you want help setting this up properly or want us to create these documents with your team, feel free to connect with us.
If you’re looking to implement solutions like these, feel free to connect with our team at LINE ID: @digitalbkk or visit our live chat on digitalbkk.com.
Clarity first. Code second.