The Importance of the Custom Software Development Discovery Process

Imagine building a house without first seeing the plans – sounds crazy, right? For the same reasons this seems unthinkable, you wouldn’t want to start a custom software development project without going through a thorough discovery process.

Discovery is an information-gathering process that digs deep into the details of what is important to a client’s business, target audience, and industry. The discovery process will differ from project to project, but the results are the same: invaluable information. The more information you gather, interpret and comprehend, the more prepared you will be to begin your custom software project.

Below are a few questions clients often ask us about the discovery process:

How Long Does It Take?

Discovery should be a short process: 1-3 days for a small project, 1-2 weeks for a mid-sized project, and 3-4 weeks for large projects.

Although the discovery phase is short, do not underestimate how important it truly is.

What Does It Accomplish?

• Define the overall project, like business objectives, goals, user research, competition, risks, etc.
• Definition of a product backlog, user stories, and product release roadmap
• Review existing artifacts, product vision, goals, scope, wireframing, etc.
• Explore technical unknowns and determine a solution
• Create a delivery team, plan, schedule, architecture plan, and scope
• Begin the project interaction and visual design

When the discovery phase is over, you should be able to step back and look at the project from the outside in and determine whether the benefits outweigh the cost and if you’re able to get what you want from the software you’re proposing.

For SOLTECH, discovery is the best way to start any successful custom software project. In this process, we’re able to learn critical information from the client, resolving any uncertainty and creating the kind of partnership and understanding between our development team and the client that we feel is critical to the success of any project.

If you’re looking to start a successful software project, SOLTECH can help you achieve your goals. Through discovery, let’s build a foundation that will produce a great project experience, as well as valuable software for your business.