The Discovery phase is one of the most critical stages of the SDLC. It allows for a comprehensive idea assessment and a detailed visualization of the product before its development begins.

In other words, an entrepreneur investing in the Discovery phase of software design gains the opportunity to make data-driven decisions. Thereby, increasing the chances of success for the digital product.

Today, you will learn from AdvantISS experts about the key stages of the Discovery phase and critical focal points. These insights will be useful as you prepare your project and map out your IT product development strategy.

Statista forecasts show that the software development market will be worth over $858 billion by 2028. Dozens of digital products are released worldwide every day. However, not all of them become successful or even make it past the MVP stage.

In many cases, this is due to POs’ refusal to contribute time to the Discovery phase. Indeed, this phase is the starting point on the path to releasing an IT solution, and it is here that the product concept, development strategy, monetization, transformation, and scaling are formed and documented.

Knowledge is power. That’s why the Discovery phase is a critical step before launching an IT project. During this stage, the PO and the team gather a wide variety of data, including:

• Market status and trends.
• Successful and not-so-successful competitor cases.
• Audience needs and preferences.
• Forecasts, trends, new points of interest.
• Current design, and more.

With the information obtained, the entrepreneur can model various development scenarios in the industry, user pathways, test theories, concepts, ideas, and more. However, this is only possible if the Discovery phase is conducted correctly and meticulously.

The key objective of this stage remains unchanged across its various iterations, although the structure may vary depending on the project’s needs and the desired depth of exploration.

The outcome should be a clearly defined action plan, documented design, technological stack, timelines, development budget, and interactive prototype. In other words, after the Discovery phase, there should be no ambiguities remaining.

At AdvantISS, we conceptually divide Discovery into seven sequential steps, optimizing the phase and yielding more precise results. Here’s how they look in practice.

Team Formation

Your backbone in this phase will be a reliable and experienced team, typically consisting of:

• Product Owner
• Project Manager
• Business Analyst
• Technical Lead
• UX/UI Designer
• Technical Architect

The number of participants is not limited, but we advise not to bring in too many experts to avoid dissonance and project-related disputes.

Requirements and Goals Establishment

This step is a sort of preparation for business analysis and design, as you’ll need to:

• Define the project’s goals.
• Set specific measurable objectives.
• Formulate a monetization concept for ROI.
• Determine the potential duration of the SDLC.
• Lay the foundation for the MVP implementation budget.

While this stage is theoretical, you should approach it responsibly. Strive to thoroughly articulate the concept of the future digital product on paper.

Market Business Analysis

The next stage of the Discovery phase is nothing but a comprehensive business analysis. It provides a full understanding of business needs UI, industry requirements, and who a typical customer is going to be after the MVP release.

In addition, you’ll receive historical statistical information, which will help you forecast the demand for the product, its potential conversion rate, and future prospects.

Business Analysis User Experience

Through this phase, you can create action chains and model user behavior algorithms. This information will help you better understand the potential consumer and adapt the product to their expectations and preferences.

Idea Adjustment

After the analysis, you may identify several problems in your original idea that don’t have clear fixes yet. Thus, you’ll need to adjust your concept so it aligns with the market condition and technical capabilities.

Prototyping Business Analysis

Within the context of this step, you should create a prototype (visual scheme) of the future solution. It should incorporate potential architecture and user interaction principles. Mind that it should be interactive. This is necessary to shape the team’s understanding of how the system should look and function.

Design Phase of Software Development Life Cycle

The next step will be launching the design phase of software. Design in terms of behavior, logic, monetization models, algorithms, interaction points,  and scalability.

In other words, this stage lays the groundwork for the concept, hierarchy, and architecture of the digital product. Thus, it serves as an example of how software should look and function. This step minimizes uncertainty, so it’s critical for further development.

Solution Presentation

So, you have an idea, its viability has been confirmed, and the user experience analyst has formed the concept, product architecture, and behavioral logic. Now, it’s time to present all this to the team.

The main task of this step is to convey the effectiveness, value, and profitability of the idea to its immediate implementers, attract investor support, and once again ensure that you are doing everything correctly.

Setting Deadlines and Potential Expenses

Next, you need to make preliminary calculations, which should include potential budget costs for implementing the digital product and the maximum deadlines for its deployment.

This is important because, in some cases, delayed software means someone else takes your place, budget overruns, and lost revenue opportunities.

Formulating Scalability and Marketing Strategies

You need to think about the future even before you start development. That is, at the Discovery phase. Otherwise, you risk encountering uncertainty at later stages of implementation, losing focus, or other rather unpleasant consequences that can undermine all efforts and expenses.

However, remember that even a confident plan will still need adjustments based on the results of the subsequent UX design analysis and market changes.

The outcomes of the Discovery phase should be a fully formed development and product scaling strategy based on decisions backed by real data. The results may include the following points:

• Ideal customer profile: Who will be using your product and why.
• Architecture: Program logic based on proven concepts.
• Wireframes: Visual layouts demonstrating key interface elements.
• Interactive prototype: A test template visualizing system behavior and response to specific actions.
• User flowchart: Visualization of potential user interaction algorithms with the system.
• UX/UI concept: Detailed description of program behavior principles and its control elements.
• API integration documentation: Comprehensive description of all potentially involved interaction points of the system with various modules.
• Project backlog: Project fragmentation into parts with detailed descriptions of processes and desired outcomes.
• Project roadmap: Implementation scheme of the product with breakdown into stages containing final schedules.
• Budget and funding model: Detailed description of funding sources, potential sponsors, and monetization principles.

This is how the result of the Discovery phase for your project may look. However, these points are not final and may change depending on the needs and scope of development.

The success of your project depends on a significant number of factors. However, the most important of these is a properly conducted Discovery phase. It determines the viability of your idea, its long-term potential, and overall implementation success opportunities.

If you want to make a spectacular debut on the market and attract an audience to your product, you should conduct comprehensive market research, PoC, and strategic planning combined into the Discovery phase.

Not sure where to start or what to focus on? Turn to an AdvantISS consultant for assistance!