If you didn't have a need, you wouldn't be considering a software development project. (Well, perhaps you just enjoy developing software and hoping that a need for it pops up sometime. That's a hobbyist approach to software, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it isn't how most people approach this kind of work.) It seems like a simple process: you have your need, you describe the need to someone else, that person writes a software package that fills your need, everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it very rarely works that way!
You have a need—but you might not know what that need is yet. It's ironic but true—just because you have a need doesn't mean that you accurately understand it. It is common for businesses to think they need one thing when in fact they need something very different. It is also common for a business to know that it has a need—usually a problem that needs to be solved—but to have no idea of how that need can be met.
Jones Metalworking has a computer-automated production process that automatically cranks out stainless-steel widgets. They also have a website that automatically takes orders online and produces a daily listing of what needs to be produced.
