SVC-DSC
Discovery & Software Selection
A paid, fixed-scope phase that ends with a written plan, a fixed-price proposal and a buy-or-build recommendation.
The problemYou need a defensible plan and a price before committing to a build.
Discovery is where we learn the process, read your data and decide what to build, buy or leave alone. You keep the findings document and the proposal whether or not you hire us for the build. If a packaged product fits, we help you shortlist and evaluate it.
What we build
- 01
Process mapping
Sessions with the people who do the work, and a written description of the process as it runs, exceptions included.
- 02
Data review
A profile of your exports: volumes, duplicates, gaps and how the data maps to a new model.
- 03
Fit-gap analysis
Requirements compared with packaged options and with a custom build, with costs over three years.
- 04
Blueprint
Screens, data model and integration map, reviewed with you before build starts.
- 05
Fixed-price proposal
Scope, phases, acceptance criteria, assumptions and a price for the first release.
A sketch of the kind of screen
- 1Findings documentProcess as it runs, with exceptions
- 2Data and integration mapSources, owners, methods
- 3Clickable prototypeKey screens to react to
- 4Risk registerOpen questions and owners
- 5Fixed-price proposalRelease one, with acceptance criteria
What ships first
- 01Findings document
- 02Prioritized scope with options
- 03Clickable prototype of the key screens
- 04Fixed-price proposal for release one
- 05Risk register
Scope is fixed in the proposal at the end of discovery. How a project runs
How we would judge it
- Requirements agreed and signed off
- Open questions resolved before build
- Options priced side by side
Works with what you already run
- Your existing systems, reviewed and documented
Before we start
- A named decision-maker
- Access to users and to your data exports
- A budget ceiling and any hard deadlines
What we do not build, and when to buy instead
Discovery does not commit you to a build. It does not produce production software.
Questions about Discovery & Software Selection
Why is discovery paid?
It takes senior time, and the findings and proposal are yours to keep. Charging for it also means we can tell you not to build when that is the right answer.
What do we get at the end?
A findings document, a data and integration map, a prototype of key screens, a risk register and a fixed-price proposal for the first release. See what discovery delivers.
Can we take the results to another vendor?
Yes. The documents are yours.
Industries that use this
Blueprints (illustrative)
SVC-DSC
Sound familiar? You need a defensible plan and a price before committing to a build.
Send a project brief. Discovery ends in a fixed-price proposal for the first release, and you keep it whether or not you hire us.