The benefits of involving your tech team in the discovery phase
By Wes | July 27th, 2010
Sometimes projects take a life of their own, and when improperly managed can develop into a tangled hydra. It’s important to take a step back, sometimes a very big step back, to have a broader scope when tackling your IT or project management issues. This is an increasingly important step in your successful project called the discovery phase, and having your tech team there from the very start is crucial to consistency in the development and implementation of your project or fix.
This phase ensures that all parties understand the current state of your business and/or project, trouble spots, possible solutions to the various challenges that you’re looking at, and vision and goals. Having your techies there for the discover phase is recommended particularly for a project if the details of the project, or the technical challenges your company faces are unclear or uncomfortably complex. These guys eat complex for breakfast, they see complex differently, and then thy create the simplest antidote for it.
Why it’s important to have your tech team in the room with you when doing discover should be obvious, but some companies overlook the importance of it. These are the engineers of the solutions dreamed of in this phase. Whether it be building or improving your eCommerce platform, improving your online business model, or tackling information management challenges, the guys and girls who understand the nuts and bolts are a valuable asset right from the get go. Knowledge of the building materials in this process can help in both managing expectations (some things just aren’t possible or affordable) in offering alternatives, and to ensure that from the first step all the way to Quality Assurance that the discovery, the vision and the implementation of solutions are consistent and the pros and cons of decisions or solutions are explored.
With your tech team involved in discovery, you’re both at an advantage by both clearly understanding:
a) The problem(s) and reason why it needs solving
b) the requirements of the project (staffing, budget, platforms and tools, timeline)
c) Strategies for tackling the problem
d) expectations, limitations and hopefully some acknowledgment of ‘unknowns’
e) whether in fact a real big problem exists or if it’s a simple fix!
Your tech team being there from the start ensures that both parties are on the same page and that progress, challenges that arise, technicalities, and goals are all clearly communicated. Because of this your project should be a smoother one on both ends.
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Tags: client discovery, discovery phase, eCommerce, IT solutions for business, project management
