The Project Discovery & Design is the crucial first step to set a project up for success.
A Project Discovery & Design is used to get a clear vision for your application in just a few weeks.
Quite simply stated, the Project Discovery & Design answers the question; “Where and how should I spend my budget to achieve the maximum value for my organization?”
Using our unique and highly visual step-by-step process, we help you understand the right business problems to solve by leveraging proven techniques.
We ideate, design, prototype and test viable IT solutions using Microsoft Applications and the Power Platform.
What is Project Discovery & Design
Is your company launching a new IT initiative using Dynamics 365 or the Power Platform but don’t really know where to start?
Or you have invested in Dynamics 365 or Power Platform solutions but feel that you are not fully capitalizing on the full potential of those systems.
- What is the best way to start your project?
- How do you align on the project goals and objectives?
- Who needs to be involved in the project?
- How do you make sure to capture and then solve the right problems with your solution?
How do you find a feasible solution that fits within your budget and timelines?
The discovery & design phase (sometimes called “envisioning” or “scoping”) is an initial phase of a project where we determine the feasibility of the project by defining the problems and opportunities that a project aims to address.
A discovery phase for a Dynamics 365 or Power Platform project consists of the following:
- Align on goals and objectives: Clearly define the goals and objectives that we hope to achieve with the project. How will Dynamics 365 or the Power Platform benefit the organization?
- Understand the right problems to solve: We then try to understand the right problems to solve so that we can achieve our goals and objectives.
- Identify key stakeholders: Identify the key stakeholders who will be involved in the project, including subject matter experts, IT users, and any external partners or vendors.
- Ideate, scope, and define requirements: Based on the project goals and identified problems we can now ideate, scope and define the requirements for the project including, integration, reporting and security specific requirements.
- Design, prototype and test solution ideas: Ones we know our key requirements, we will now design, prototype and test our solution ideas.
- Determine a roadmap: Where we will establish a high-level plan for implementing Dynamics 365 or the Power Platform, including any necessary customizations or integrations, and define the timeline and resources required for the project.
Project Discovery & Design key benefits
- Reduce risks and assumptions: The Project Discovery helps to identify potential risks and issues early in the project.
- Reduce project costs: By investing time and resources in the Project Discovery organizations can avoid costly mistakes, reduce the risk of scope creep and ensures that the project delivers the expected results.
- Better project outcomes: The Project Discovery ensures that the project is based on a clear understanding of business objectives and problems that we need to fix.
- Increased stakeholder engagement: The Discovery involves engaging with stakeholders to understand their problems, need and requirements. We also seek their input and approval before moving ahead with the project implementation. This helps to ensure that the project is aligned with the needs of the organization and that stakeholders are invested in the project’s success.
- Better planning: A discovery helps to develop a realistic and effective roadmap for implementing Dynamics 365 or The Power Platform. Such plan, helps to ensure that the project is delivered in smaller increments and following the right sequence.
Project Discovery & Design deliverables
- Goals and objectives: Clearly defined goals and objectives for the Dynamics 365 or Power Platform project(s). Those must be aligned to your company strategy and goals. If your company strategy involve building key partnerships with clients and partners, then having the system that supports having a consolidated and centralized view of clients and partner is key.
- User insights and feedback: Notes and results from expert interviews, shadowing sessions and ideation sessions that provide valuable insights into the usability, desirability, and feasibility of the proposed solution(s).
- Solution concepts and designs: You will get Visual diagrams and high-level designs that provide a clear representation of the proposed solution(s) and how they will work together.
- Product backlog: A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and requirements for the solution(s), including an assessment of feasibility, impact, and priority.
- Prototypes: As part of the Project Disocvery we will create some working prototypes or wireframes of the proposed solution(s). Those are built in low-fidelity forms and allows users to interact with and test the solution ideas to make sure if identify the best ones.
- Roadmap: A visual representation of the proposed features and when they should be delivered, including the relationships and dependencies between different parts of the project(s).
- Recommendations report: A written report that summarizes the results of the project discovery, including the key insights, findings, and recommendations for next steps.