{"id":16156,"date":"2023-02-22T00:50:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartdev.com\/?p=16156"},"modified":"2024-07-18T06:10:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T06:10:41","slug":"unlock-the-power-of-the-agile-discovery-phase-with-a-discovery-sprint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartdev.com\/fr\/unlock-the-power-of-the-agile-discovery-phase-with-a-discovery-sprint\/","title":{"rendered":"Lib\u00e9rez la puissance de la phase de d\u00e9couverte Agile avec un sprint de d\u00e9couverte\u00a0!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, imagine your team has a need or an idea for a new project, but the scope of the project is not clear.\u00a0\u00a0 Additionally, you do not have the resources to develop detailed requirements or begin development or estimate costs.\u00a0\u00a0 Often, this results in miscommunication, extended timelines and higher costs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Discovery Phase is an ideal solution to move the project forward in a cost-effective manner and determine an agreed upon scope and accurate estimates.\u00a0 It allows the client and the outsourcing team to work together to focus on project scope, requirements, design, project plan and, finally, a much more accurate cost estimate.\u00a0 Additionally, the team will be fully prepared to start delivering at the onset of implementation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0L<\/span>et\u2019s dive into this intro to the methodology and discuss just what it is, why it\u2019s valuable, and how to get the most out of it. Let\u2019s first start by making sure we\u2019re all clear on what a discovery phase is<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is the discovery phase?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
\"\"

Humans are pretty much always in a discovery phase.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The discovery phase of an Agile project is an important part of the process that helps a team understand their client\u2019s or project\u2019s needs and the problem to be solved. It\u2019s typically the first step of the agile process and involves gathering information from stakeholders, researching the client\u2019s\u00a0 industry and competitors, and making sure that everyone is on the same page about the project\u2019s goals and requirements. The discovery phase also helps you to identify potential risks and evaluate the feasibility of the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

That feasibility part is quite important, in fact. In some circumstances, it may turn out that the expectations of a project don\u2019t meet reality, and the project has to be scrapped. That\u2019s OK \u2014 it helps save money and time for everyone involved. Alternatively, it could be that the project is shown to be more feasible than initially expected, so more resources and manpower can be devoted to it. That\u2019s even better. The point is to ensure the project is fully understood before anyone begins calling shots and dedicating manpower to it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note that a discovery phase is not unique to Agile methodology, as it\u2019s a critical part of many industries, including law in many countries. But for now, we\u2019re talking about Agile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Discovery Phase is executed using the Agile methodology and includes the customer and a reduced outsourcing team.\u00a0 The members of the outsourcing team are selected based on what is needed to begin a fully understand and size the project.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, a customer might have domain knowledge, but do not have technical resources.\u00a0 In this case, the outsourcing company would provide technical, UI\/UX and a Project Manager to build software and UI designs as well as a phase 1 project plan and sprint backlog.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a reduced cost, the customer is able to see the project come to life and have a much better idea of what the timelines and costs of bringing their idea live.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is a discovery sprint?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

A discovery sprint is a partnership between the customer and the outsourcing company.\u00a0\u00a0 It is a fixed period, depending on the project size open questions, where the two teams discuss, document and size the scope of the project.\u00a0 Typically, a sprint is two-weeks, but it can be reduced.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each sprint, if more than one is needed, will have clear deliverables that remove any open questions that would impede the delivery team.\u00a0\u00a0 Sprint deliverables might include, system design, system costs, UI\/UX, detailed estimates, project phasing (including MVPs) and a requirements (User Story) backlog.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the saying goes, there are known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns. That is, there are things you know, things you know that you don\u2019t know, and things you don\u2019t know that you don\u2019t know. The goal of these sprints is to start from the core of knowledge in the known knowns and branch out as far as possible into the unknown unknowns. The more that is understood about a project before it begins, the better the results are likely to be.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Discovery sprints don\u2019t only have to happen at the beginning of an entire project. <\/span>For example, the project plan might have several phases identified.\u00a0 However, the market might be calling for a different feature set than anticipated and the two teams need to react and plan.\u00a0 A discovery sprint can be done between phases to reassess the product direction and plan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Benefits of a discovery phase<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Discovery

Before you begin, you have to know what’s possible and impossible.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

By now, you may be getting an idea of just how a discovery <\/span>phase<\/span> can be beneficial. But let\u2019s look at a few key reasons to ensure it\u2019s part of your process \u2014 and perhaps one you revisit many times.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a discovery sprint allows the team to quickly identify and address potential risks<\/span> that can be costly impacts to during implementation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The discovery phase can<\/span> cover a lot of ground \u2014 for example end-user value and usability, technical feasibility, and commercial viability. In simple English, that sounds like:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n