How to use it
- 01
Pick one product line
Plan for a single line, the one where configuration causes the most work or the most errors. A scope for the whole catalogue is too large to estimate and too slow to prove.
- 02
Be honest about rules
If the rules about what fits with what live in the heads of two people, choose that answer. Writing them down is a task in the project, and often the most valuable one.
- 03
Say what must come out
Decide whether a finished design should become an enquiry, a quote, a basket item or an order. Each step further adds integration work and removes manual work for your team.
- 04
Name the devices
Tick only the devices your users really hold. Smooth 3D on ordinary phones takes deliberate effort, so it should be in scope because it is needed, not by default.
What sets the size of a configurator project
Two configurators that look similar on screen can differ several times over in effort. The difference lies in six areas that are easy to establish before anyone writes a proposal.
| Part | What it settles | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Product | How many combinations, and what drives the choice | Decides whether a configurator is the right tool at all |
| Options and rules | What can be chosen, and whether the rules are written | Unwritten rules are the largest hidden task |
| 3D material | Existing files, required realism and the number of parts | Model preparation is often the biggest single cost |
| Price and output | How prices are calculated and what a design becomes | Determines the integration work |
| Audience and devices | Who uses it, and on what | Phones and public users raise the bar for performance |
| Running it | Who maintains it, connected systems and the measure | A configurator that cannot be updated falls behind the range |
A worked example
An office booth maker scopes a first release
The example is an invented maker of acoustic office booths. Load it to see the outline. The answers describe a tool for dealers and sales staff, not for the public, which changes the scope considerably.
- FitThousands of combinations, chosen by how a booth fits a floor plan. Both point clearly to a configurator.
- PreparationRules are only partly written, and prices follow rules by size. Documenting the rules and connecting to ERP pricing are in scope.
- AudienceDealers and sales staff on tablets and desktops. Phone performance and room viewing are left for later.
The first release is a dealer tool that outputs a quote and a parts list. The success measure, quotes issued without an engineer's check, is specific enough to judge it by.
What this tool does not do
The planner gathers the facts a proposal depends on. It does not turn them into one.
- It gives no price or duration. Those follow from the parts count, the rules and the integrations.
- It does not judge whether a configurator suits your product. Our guide on that question covers it.
- It cannot assess the quality of your 3D files. Someone has to open them.
- Your answers stay in this browser and are sent nowhere.
What to do with the finished document
Share the outline with whoever knows the product rules and whoever runs your ERP, and ask each what is wrong or missing. If you would like our view, send it with one sample 3D file and your option list. Send it through the contact page or book a 30-minute call and bring it along.
Common questions
Why does the planner ask where the rules are written?
Because a configurator can only offer what its rules allow. If compatibility rules exist in documents, they can be loaded and tested. If they exist in the memory of a few experienced people, they must first be drawn out and agreed, which takes workshops and time. Knowing which is true changes both the plan and the estimate.
What difference does the audience make?
A tool for your own sales staff or dealers can assume training, good devices and a sign-in, and it can show trade prices. A tool for the public must explain itself, run on any phone and protect prices that differ between customers. The second is a larger project, even when the product is the same.
Should the first release cover our whole range?
Rarely. Begin with one product line and its most ordered options. That proves the process for producing models, the rules and the connection to pricing at a manageable size. Adding further lines afterwards is quicker, because the materials library, the rule format and the integration already exist.
Do we need 3D files before we start?
No, although their existence and quality affect the budget. Engineering files give exact shapes and need reworking for the web. Marketing models may be closer to usable. With only photographs and drawings, models are built from scratch, which is common for simpler forms. Choose the answer that matches today.