What is the Discovery Phase?

The discovery phase is the first mature stage of discussion between a software development company and a client. Put simply, it is a comprehensive analysis of project development that includes aspects such as:

Business goals, as well as the objectives of the projects involved.
Pain points, risks, gaps, and critical requirements.
System inventory: existing systems that require integration with a CRM.
A comprehensive view of the deployment area.
A transition project plan from the existing infrastructure to the planned one.
Searching for possible data sources for a new CRM implementation.
Setting a schedule and priorities.
Drafting a project development roadmap.
Distribution of roles within the project.
Calculation of time and budget.

Why Does the Project Discovery Phase Matter?

The Discovery Phase helps you clearly understand when, how, and what you will receive by documenting all important aspects of project development: from expectations to exact functionality and estimates.

As a software development company, we study your exact expectations and requirements to better understand your business idea. Moreover, as our solution architects and development team get to know the product history better, they can create the most suitable solutions to match your needs and expectations. This allows them to propose alternative solutions that can significantly increase the final value delivered to end users.

Sometimes, our technical specialists propose alternative solutions during the project discovery phase that fit client needs and expectations, but are implemented differently. As a result, we can reduce project development time and costs, which is highly valued by stakeholders while providing additional value.

What Do You Get at the End of the Discovery Process?

The discovery process provides the team and staff with insightful recommendations regarding their priorities and responsibilities during a CRM implementation.

As a result of the Discovery Phase, you will receive:

A BPMN diagram corresponding to the company's processes, taking into account all the software it uses.
A Technical Specifications document describing all details and nuances.
A Gantt chart—the total number of hours for project implementation and the exact number of days for project completion

BPMN scheme

Creating almost any business solution, including a CRM, inevitably involves establishing business processes. Building a business process is not always a simple task, as it requires not just drawing a diagram, but also figuring out how a particular process will actually happen in practice, regulating it, communicating these regulations to every employee, testing how everything works in practice, and thinking about shortcomings and ways to fix them.

To model a business process in accordance with the BPMN notation, special business process modeling software is most frequently used. Such software is capable of not only creating diagrams but also ensuring that business operations actually run according to those schemes.

Let's figure out what a BPMN system is and how BPMN business process modeling works.

BPMN—Business Process Management Notation - is a system of conventional symbols used to build flowcharts for business processes (business process modeling).

At the core of any such diagram lies an event. For example, events can include:

Receiving a request from a client (start event).
Creating a document.
Approving a document.
Shipping goods to the client / providing a service to the client.
Receiving feedback from the client (end event, unless the feedback needs to be processed).
Other events.

In addition to events, there are gateways. It is precisely gateways that make it possible to build a concrete business process diagram because they regulate the movement of the process. These are numerous transition links with logical values such as "next," "if," and "and." They allow business processes to branch out: from a single event (for example, receiving a request), multiple pathways emerge through gateways - such as logging the request, processing the request, collecting contact details from the client, and so on.

Terms of Reference (ToR)

The rationale for launching the project.

A Terms of Reference (ToR) sets out the background, goal, and objectives of a proposed project. The ToR template includes a set of criteria necessary for making strategic project management decisions. Additionally, this document defines project-related activities, risks, budget, and expertise.

In project management, a terms of reference is a strategy-level document that describes expected deliverables, who is responsible for each deliverable, and the deadlines by which they must be completed. The ToR specifies planned actions, typical inputs and outputs, the project budget, work schedules, and job descriptions. It is used to evaluate the work of the project team, contractors, consultants, experts, and other project stakeholders.

The purpose of a ToR is to specify the scope and type of work required to execute the project. Furthermore, it is a guiding document that establishes and defines relationships among all project stakeholders. The terms of reference document is developed after the project has been identified, defined, and planned.

A project ToR contains a clear description of the following important information:

The rationale for launching the project.
The proposed project management methodology, along with work plans and activity schedules.
Expected resource requirements, primarily regarding personnel.
Reporting rules and requirements.

Gantt chart

A Gantt chart, commonly used in project management, is one of the most popular and useful ways to display activities (tasks or events) against time. A list of activities appears on the left of the chart, and an appropriate timeline runs across the top. Each activity is represented by a bar; the position and length of the bar reflect the start date, duration, and end date of the activity. This makes it possible to see at a glance:

What the various activities are.
When each activity starts and ends.
How long each activity will last.
Where activities overlap with other activities and to what extent.
The start and end date of the entire project.

The chart indicates tasks that can be performed in parallel and those that cannot be started or finished until others are completed. This can help detect potential bottlenecks and identify tasks that could have been excluded from the project schedule.

The chart shows such things as task float or the extra time available to complete a task without delaying the project, non-critical activities that can be postponed, and critical activities that must be completed on time.

Gantt charts can be used to manage projects of any size and type. They help visualize various tasks and projects simultaneously running within an organization and how far along they are. They are used by management to plan and schedule such projects so that resources can be allocated in an optimal manner and priority projects can be completed before less important ones begin.

What Problems Can Be Solved During the Project's Discovery Phase?

Let's briefly review the main problems that can be solved during the software discovery phase:

#1 Endless Project Scope Changes and Budget Creep
The absence of strictly documented and measurable milestones can lead to endless changes and expansions of the project scope. In turn, this will likely lead to project launch delays and budget overruns.
#2 Missed Deadlines and Setup/Installation Costs
The software discovery phase allows you to create a strict timeline with iterative project development phases that determine the exact project development time. The lack of defined goals, priorities, and requirements can lead to extended timelines and delayed launches. Thus, as a client, you may face escalating costs throughout the entire project development process.
#3 Inappropriate Projects That Do Not Meet Your Requirements
The project research phase allows both parties to avoid any misunderstandings and stay connected moving forward. You can specify exact expectations and receive meaningful feedback from our solution architects regarding technical implementation.

This means that they specifically describe how to build a feature or the entire product functionality to meet your needs and expectations. This is a win-win strategy for both your company and Ascendix Tech, as we eliminate all possible uncertainties in advance.

Get a Discovery Phase

Want to set up all business processes for software implementation? Our team is always ready to help you! Book a free consultation with one of our experts and get a comprehensive solution for your business!

Get a Discovery Phase