Project discovery is relatively new concept to the digital world. However, as the sector has grown and pivoted to suit latest technologies it has become more and more evident how important it is in the delivery of the successful digital products. For us as a company a successful project can be measured in three ways:
- Being able to work alongside businesses and organisations to bring their vision to reality.
- The design and development of solutions that provide tangible results.
- Making a difference to how you do business every day.
What is project discovery?
Project discovery is carried out at the very start of a digital project, when it is an idea that is only in its very infancy and a business or organisation would like to bring it to fruition in the most effective way possible. However, to do this successfully the idea needs to be fully scoped out into real-world requirements, considering all functionality, outlining tangible results, the budget available and the risks surrounding the delivery.
The discovery phase is a short and intensive period of collaborative research and analysis, carried out at the start of a digital project that usually includes UX Designers, Technical Engineers and Project Leads from your chosen digital company, as well as anyone on the client side who is considered to be a stakeholder in the project.
Project discovery allows all project stakeholders to get an in-depth understanding of your business, its processes, your key objectives and what success means to you. As a result, we will also collect the following information:
- Where do you as our client want to get to?
- What systems, tools and processes already exist?
- What do we as your digital partner need to know to help you achieve success?
It allows businesses and organisations to work alongside their chosen digital partner on a small project to develop the trust, collaboration and the progressive approach required to create the best product possible, whilst minimising risk to you.
Why is project discovery beneficial?
Any digital project will require a detailed technical specification to be developed before design or development work can begin. Project delivery teams working in agencies like Scaffold Digital, use technical specifications to deliver a digital product that is based and focused on client requirements.
The project discovery phase will allow us to create a document that will form the basis of your technical specification. You will understand each of your requirements, gain clarity on whether you feel the development items will be worthwhile and whether it will add value to your business or not. It will also allow you to understand the extent of the opportunities that lie within the solution you are trying to create by using our process and experience to delve deeper into your requirements and designing a well-crafted solution that is based on your KPI’s. Every successful solution will have started with the results in mind.
It is also important that we as your digital partner can fully understand the barriers and risks you might feel surround the project. Our experience in the delivery of digital solutions and an outside perspective on your business will help you to find creative ways of solving problems and help you to effectively mitigate against the risks outlined at the start.
The Result
The project discovery phase will help to provide a clear purpose and direction for your new digital solution, in turn ensuring all project stakeholders are focussed on a shared vision and outcome. It also helps to clearly outline any risks and barriers that could derail the project at any point during delivery with catastrophic costs. A good digital agency shouldn’t just start building exactly what you ask them to build. A really good agency will work alongside you, as an extension of your team to ensure you develop a solution that fits your current infrastructure and processes, with recommendations and changes that will make the product truly successful.
Want to find out more about Project Discovery? Contact us.