Set up

For discovery to be successful, there are a number of tasks we need to do first to prepare.

Discovery: Set up

Mandatory

Task	Owned by
Research, reading and getting up to speed Reading briefs, SOWs and the client’s existing strategy, understanding any prior discovery work and getting familiar with the project.	Everyone
Contracts signed Ensure contracts are finalised and signed before work begins.	Product Director
Choose the right team Make final decisions about what skill sets and team members will be needed for this phase.	Product Director
Develop a product vision Make sure that everyone on the team understands what the client is trying to achieve and why.	Product Director
Help the client’s wider team understand the scope and purpose of work Work with the client to ensure their own team is properly aligned and understands the reasons for the work and their role within it.	Product Director Service Designer
Stakeholder mapping Work with the client to identify who, how, and to what frequency we need to engage with wider stakeholders. We should come out of this with a clear understanding of key decision-makers and approval processes.	Product Director Delivery Manager
Delivery management setup Ensure all team members have access to the relevant tools, documentation and communications. Tasks may include: Setting up G-Drive, Monday, Harvest and Slack. Scheduling ceremonies and kick-offs, requesting purchase order (if applicable).	Delivery Manager
Agree on appropriate delivery approach Agree delivery framework and ways of working. This might include deciding which parts of this playbook are suitable for this project. This will inform the high-level delivery plan.	Delivery Manager
Produce a high-level delivery plan A living document which should reflect the current phase’s key milestones, client deadlines and dependencies.	Delivery Manager
Internal kick-off meeting Brief the team, agree on roles and responsibilities, outcomes for discovery and ways of working. Ensure everyone is on the same page and understands what we are trying achieve.	Delivery Manager
Client kick-off meeting The objective of this meeting will vary depending on the project. It should include activities to help the client and team align on vision, goals, success metrics, roles and responsibilities, risks and high level scope.	Product Director
Schedule team members and create forecast sheet Plan out the team members and time needed for the project using a forecast sheet and book this time in our scheduling tool.	Delivery Manager
Engage with supporting team members Ensure supporting roles that sit outside of the main project team are briefed and have enough time allocated. Tasks may include: Speaking with QA Lead, Tech Lead, Systems Engineer, etc.	Delivery Manager
Discuss budget tracking and reporting with client Agree the cadence and format for client status reports and budget tracking. Client status reports	Delivery Manager Product Director
Product owner training Helping our clients understand how we work and our expectations of their role in the project as Product Owner.	Delivery Manager
Share discovery planned outcomes A clear shared understanding of what is going to be delivered by the end of this phase.	Delivery Manager Product Director
Shared understanding of risks and mitigations Facilitate a conversation during kick-off to explore potential project and operational risks. This should be shared in a living document and updated and reviewed frequently, both internally and with the client.	Delivery Manager
Assign a quality champion Make sure each project team has a named quality champion. Our definition of quality, Quality Champions	QA Lead
Define test and assurance strategy and ways of working Ensure everyone is clear on our test and assurance approach and ways of working for the project. Agree on standards and what support might be needed.	QA Lead