{"id":1973,"date":"2020-06-04T14:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T12:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sodapl.com\/?p=1973"},"modified":"2022-12-22T10:55:04","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T09:55:04","slug":"discovery-session-as-a-competitive-advantage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sodapl.com\/en\/discovery-session-as-a-competitive-advantage\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery session as a competitive advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The IT market in Poland is currently worth over USD 6 billion and is growing by approximately 6% annually. Such growth brings a significant competitiveness of the industry, so the success of individual companies is largely determined by the ability to find appropriate business advantages. In this article I will try to present one of the methods to achieve such an advantage \u2014 it is a workshop tool known as a discovery session.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Who needs this anyway?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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First of all, it is worth answering the question of who is the main beneficiary of this approach. Well, by the long shot is definitely the user, because the analytical and critical approach to the investor\u2019s assumptions and business models is more likely to translate into benefits for the target consumer. But this approach brings additional benefits to the investor and supplier, in this case the software house. The possibility of verifying the first assumptions and business concepts, even before the start of the project, as well as learning the prospect of a potential customer on the one hand gives the opportunity to change the approach to investment in advance, and on the other the selected supplier (or the one who is just trying to obtain a contract) get the opportunity to appear as a responsible and creative business partner.<\/p>

A similar role at the beginning of every major project is played by BI experts on the supplier\u2019s side, but their perspective is slightly different \u2014 they are expected to translate the client\u2019s business requirements into specific functionalities that can be implemented in the selected technology. The task of UX designers implementing the discovery session workshop is, in turn, a broader view of the entire context of the use of the application and the possibilities that it will offer to the end user.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to start?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The discovery session aims at several tasks, but the main ones are worth mentioning:<\/p>

  1. Leveling the knowledge about the project \u2014 over 10 years of experience in working with clients shows that it is crucial to achieve the intended results, and that the client throughout the entire project implementation process feels that everyone is going in the same direction; in other words, this stage eliminates any understatement at the start. In addition, such a session at the beginning of the project allows you to know all the restrictions of the project on the investor\u2019s side, which otherwise might not have been articulated before the start of the project.<\/li>
  2. Clarifying the definition of the target group \u2014 regardless of whether the new project is an innovative start up (although in this case this stage is a must-have) or the project is about redesigning the current application or website.<\/li>
  3. Verification of business and functional assumptions in the context of responding to the real needs of the user \u2014 a business that responds to the real expectations of its target group has an immeasurably greater chance of success and that is why it is so important at the very beginning to decide which assumptions are potentially desirable and which may result from a cognitive bias of the investor.<\/li>
  4. Risk management \u2014 on paper, most ideas seem sensible, and in total all amounts add up, of course, in plus, but only the collision with the actual state of competition, consumer needs and the current market situation gives knowledge and the opportunity to make rational business decisions. At the discovery session stage, you can determine with the client a sensible scope for a MVP version, which on the one hand will implement key business assumptions, and on the other hand will act as a specific litmus test, determining the correctness of the assumptions and business plan.<\/li><\/ol>

    There is one more goal that you sometimes forget in the context of looking for reasons to implement the discovery workshop and its benefits. It is, without a doubt, a desire to verify that all people in the client\u2019s organization involved in the project perceive it in the same way. Sometimes, the discovery workshop is the first place and opportunity to stimulate a lively discussion in the team on the client\u2019s side, which can sometimes overturn all original assumptions.<\/p>

    Achieving the abovementioned goals is possible if you are properly prepared for such a workshop, which also requires the participation of the right people from the investor. Such a group usually includes:<\/p>

    1. Product owner<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 it can be a dedicated role or business owner; it is important for the seconded person to have comprehensive knowledge about business and its goals, and to be empowered to make strategic decisions<\/li>
    2. Marketing representative<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 such a person will be able to talk about the project from the point of view of long-term action plans and business goals in the context of market features and brand communication<\/li>
    3. Domain expert<\/strong>\u2014 when the project on the investor\u2019s side is complex and implies specialized solutions, an important role in the discovery workshop is a person who has answers related to the project\u2019s specialization<\/li>
    4. Future system operators<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 when the designed solution will be managed by dedicated people on the investor\u2019s side, it is also worth listening to their views, because a well-designed system will increase the efficiency of the indicated people. Otherwise, the implementation of repetitive tasks in a system that is not intuitive for them may be associated with financial loss.<\/li><\/ol>

      Protip: a good addition to the discovery workshop is the inclusion of elements of a technology workshop, allowing, for example, to discuss the project with third-party investor suppliers; it allows to identify and eliminate potential problems of integration, selection and refinement of the best technology from the point of view of goals.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      How to deliver?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Before the pandemic time, discovery workshops were usually carried out at the clients\u2019 premises (for their convenience) or at the supplier\u2019s premises, because sometimes the client prefers to contract the time of the entire team only for the workshop, without any distractors in the form of current work.<\/p>

      However, nothing prevents such workshops from being carried out remotely, which is currently the only proper form at the present time. Workshops can be carried out using dedicated tools (Mural, Miro) or using public messengers such as Zoom, Hangouts, Skype. However, it should be remembered that conducting workshops remotely differs from face-to-face meeting. Here are the differences to keep in mind:<\/p>