Determining the software concept and requirements
What is the discovery phase?
Discovery phase is the first step of an agile software development cycle. It involvesThorough analysis of the elicited project-related data
Detailed planning for the first iterations / release
Estimate the duration and cost of software development.
Decide upon the best technical implementation of the project functionality, including the choice of software architecture and tech stack
Comprehensively define the project idea and make sure that the whole team shares the same vision
Validate the idea, analyzing its product-market fit
Why to start with the discovery phase?
Predefined project scope
Project discovery clearly defines the software development objectives and splits them into measurable deliverables. It eliminates the chance of chaotic adjustments and changes to the project scope, assuring its smooth and timely implementation.
Meeting the deadlines on time
Discovery phase of a project provides us with the defined project scope, and step-by-step plan for reaching the milestones. Thus, it prevents from extending the development timeframe, and helps to avoid any delays with software launch.
Good product-market fit
Clear project requirements help to stay true to the initial purpose, and develop a solution your target audience needs. With discovery you don’t risk to drift away from the primary project idea, and successively approach your validated business goals.
Software that meets your expectations
Well-planned software functionality, architecture, and carefully chosen technology stack eliminate the risk of unexpected application rebuild or poor performance. This ensures
- keeping up with the deadlines
- building precisely the product you and its users are waiting for
- timely application launch within the set budget.
Let’s meet with the discovery team!
Business analyst
- Gathers functional software requirements
- Creates technical specification
- Is attentive to details and makes sure all of them are taken into account
Project manager
- Controls the software development process and makes it clear and transparent to the customer
- Creates the project roadmap
- Estimates the app implementation efforts
- Plans the first release in details
Tech lead
- Gathers non-functional app requirements
- Chooses optimal software architecture
- Picks the most suitable top-notch tech stack
- Reveals potential hazards to minimize any risks
UI/UX designer
- Creates eye-catching and functionable designs that not only look good, but also feel right for the particular application
- Strives to provide excellent user experience, making interactions with an app intuitive and pleasant
Project discovery process and deliverables
Agile discovery phase deliverables allow to plan the first steps of app development precisely.
They also define all of the project milestones.
Week 1: Groundwork
You tell us about
The future solution scope, and, possibly, preferred technologies
The current state of a project
Project stakeholders
What we do
Define the roles and share the responsibilities within the team
Plan the discovery activities
What you get
Discovery phase agenda and schedule
Stakeholders list
Communication plan
Week 2: Initiation
You tell us about
Your business needs and requirements
User personas
The current and future states
Functional requirements
Project priorities
What we do
Analyze the functional requirements
Come up with the technical approach, including solution architecture and tech stack
Elicit the non-functional requirements
Set the project priorities, milestones and success criteria
Define the in-scope and out-of-scope activities
Complete the list of assumptions, risks and dependencies
Come up with mockups and visual designs
Estimate the scope we’ve agreed upon
Validate the discovery findings
What you get
Product vision & business goals
Check Example
Product Backlog
Check Example
Architecture plan
Non-Functional Requirements
Check Example
DevOps Plan
Check Example
Wireframes of the key user flows
Check Example
Week 3: Wrap up
What we do
Finalize the estimates, project roadmap, and team composition
Get the estimated work breakdown structure (WBS)
Conduct the discovery playback presentation
What you get
Detailed requirements for the 1st sprint
Elaborated designs for the 1st sprint
Check Example
Implementation Roadmap
Implementation efforts estimation
Check Example
Project governance approach (methodology)
Change management approach
Answers to common digital transformation questions
The whole process at Apiko takes about three weeks.
Business Analysis & UX
- Competitor analysis
- Diagrams (UML/BPMN)
- Business model canvas
- Value proposition canvas
- User persona analysis
- User journey map
Software Engineering
- Proof of Concept implementation
- Review & analysis of services for integrations
Project Management
- User Acceptance Testing Plan
- Definition of Done / Definition of Ready (for scrum methodology)
- Resource plan with budgeting
- Risk matrix
- RACI matrix
The project discovery concludes with the planning phase. After its completion, you are all set to smoothly get on track with your web application or/and mobile app development. You are also ready to proceed with the detailed UX and UI design to provide the outstanding experience for the app users.
Explore our real-life project discovery phase example and feel free to reach out if you have any questions remaining.
