Before I dive into this topic, I want to take a minute to tell you that none of what I am going to say is meant to be judgemental at all. It took me a long time to get the hang of this myself, and almost everyone I work with is habitually blowing right past the discovery phase on their projects.
There’s nothing like the feeling of being inspired by a great idea. It’s not in our nature to slow down and taking things one step at a time when we’re excited about a new project. We want to get moving and share our ideas with the world; we feel like we know enough to get started, and we’ll figure out the rest as we go. Sound familiar?
As a business mentor and consultant, I am constantly urging people to hit pause and start with the discovery phase. I’ll explain why below!
What is the Discovery Phase?
It’s difficult to fully understand the value of the discovery phase until you understand the purpose of it. Simply put, the discovery phase is the first important step in the project development process and where you gather key project information so you can gain a high-level understanding of your project. It includes the intensive research that is necessary to start to execute on your idea! It’s also the ideal time to define the scope of work to determine or justify if the project is actually worth pursuing.
Typically, the discovery phase goes like this:
- First, you get really clear on what you want the outcome of the project to be.
- Then, you look at what already exists, e.g. processes, tools, and resources.
- Finally, you outline what needs to be done to bridge the gap and achieve the final outcome.
And to get started, you can ask yourself these questions (hint: you should document them too!):
Question #1: How does this project, idea or work align with your strategy?
Aligning your projects with your strategy is key. Why? Because by doing so, you ensure that the work will get done (successfully too) and you’ll accomplish your objectives. You don’t want to spend extra time on efforts that don’t have a direct impact on your bottom line, address customer needs and expectations.
Question #2: What is the purpose of the project?
Having the purpose of a project documented and shared is also key when working with your team. It levels the playing field. The purpose statement is a few short sentences outlining the problem/opportunity that is to be solved.
Question #3: What is the scope of work?
Once you clearly understand the purpose of the project, you can then work on defining the scope. This is where you confirm the results your project will accomplish but defining the boundaries as well.
Question #4: What is excluded from the scope?
As important as it is to define what is “in scope”, it’s just as importation to mention what the “scope exclusions” are. Not only does this guide the team when questions come up later on in the project, but it also helps manage your customer (or stakeholder) expectations. What some people might think is included in the project, may not be and are considered things that are not included in the project. By listing them out, there are no questions.
Question #5: Are there any assumptions being made about this project?
What assumptions are being made about the project as you define it? What things are believed to be true at the start of the project (and even into the future)? These are key pieces of information upon which project plans and decisions are made.
Question #6: What are the goals of the project?
The project goals are front and foremost to help focus on what is most important. This is where you defined the desired (and agreed upon) outcomes of a project. You can think of it as listing out what the key deliverable will be for your project.
Question #7: What resources will be impacted by this project (stakeholders and team members)?
The success of a project largely depends on your resources — both the team doing the work as well as those impacted by the project. After having a clear picture of the scope and goals of the project, you need to know what work is required so you can allocate the appropriate resources to successfully complete the project. In some cases, this may mean you need to hire outside of your organization, which needs to be considered when building your project timeline. In addition to knowing who is required, you’ll also need to consider how much of their time is needed.
You’ll also want to consider your stakeholders–those impacted by the project. Do they need to be involved in the project? If so, think through who, when, and for how long so they can be included in the planning of the project and pulled in at the right times throughout the project.
Question #8: What is the estimated project duration?
While this is not always an easy task, it is necessary. Without it, you won’t have a clear picture of how long your project will take and it will be harder to get your resources to commit.
Many leaders often underestimate the amount of time needed so this is an exercise I highly recommend! It doesn’t have to be 100% at this point as you’ll continue to refine it in the next couple phases of the project, but you do have to think it through so you can determine how it fits in with other work/projects you having going on.
Question #9: What are the estimated costs of the project?
At this stage of the project, it’s a good idea to identify and estimate all the costs associated with the project in order to create an accurate budget. This will lead to the success and completion of the project.
Make every dollar count by taking the time to do the research for accurate cost estimations. The better the estimate, the better you’ll be able to map out your project–it helps gauge whether the project is feasible from a financial perspective, helps create a clear roadmap with timelines, and helps you decide how to approach the project with budget and resources.
It’s actually a super straightforward process, and after having been through enough projects to see the overwhelming benefits of starting with a discovery phase, I would never dream of skipping it. Let’s go over those benefits right now!
Benefits of the Discovery Phase
When you dive right into a project and skip the discovery phase, you get to take advantage of the momentum that you have. You also get a good jump start on whatever deadline you set for yourself. However, you’re making it almost impossible to measure your success. Without assessing what tools and processes you already have at your disposal, you’re probably going to end up spending money and time on redundant resources.
During the discovery phase, your main goal is to establish the purpose, assumptions, goals, success factors, resources, dependencies, estimated timeline and budget for the project. It sounds like a lot, but trust me, it’s worth it. So often, people don’t take the time to do this work, which makes it really difficult to know if the project was a success or not.
The discovery phase is also tremendously valuable if you’re going to be working with a team. Whether it’s your own team or contractors you’re bringing in for the project, including them in this discovery phase will ensure that you’re all on the same page from the start. You’ll be able to hold each other accountable throughout the project and reduce any uncertainty.
I’m Here to Help!
Want to learn how a business mentor (like myself) can help you execute your next project and scale your business to increase profits and grow to that next level? I’m always down for a virtual chat over a warm cup of coffee. Send me a message here and let’s find a time to connect, even if it’s just for 15 minutes!