To me, Project Discovery is the most fun part of Project Management. So what is it?
It’s funny how we don’t really know about something until we are forced to think about it. Of course, you know about Project Discovery. However, many project professionals will either:
- Elide project discovery into the Project Definition Stage, or
- Ignore it altogether!
It took a simple question to set me thinking.
You can consider project discovery as either:
- the first part of the Project Definition Stage, or as
- a stage before the Project Definition Stage.
Either way, Project Discovery has a simple purpose: discovery.
The Contents of this Article
This article will serve as your comprehensive introduction to Project Discovery. So, we will look at:
- The Value of the Discovery Mode of Thinking
- What is Project Discovery?
- Project Discovery Video: A Summary of this Article
- Why Project Discovery is So Valuable: The Benefits
- The Five Steps of Project Discovery
- Going Deeper into Project Discovery
We’ll start with an introductory section that makes the case for discovery mode thinking…
The Value of the Discovery Mode of Thinking
What I like about projects is the constant flow of problems. It isn’t that I like the problems themselves: I like problem-solving. If you are a Project Manager, you need to get good at it. If you want your team to solve problems more effectively, you need to get them into Discovery Mode.
The ideas in the short video below come from a series of experiments by Ronald Friedman and Jens Forster. They found a way to double creativity.
There is an astonishing difference between ‘safety mode’ and ‘discovery mode’. Take 3½ minutes to see what they learned…
Video Summary
Ronald Friedman and Jens Forster split students into two groups and set each group the same simple maze to solve. The maze had a mouse in the middle.
- One group was told solve it to get to the cheese.
- The other group was told to avoid the owl that would eat the mouse.
All the students were then set a creative thinking task.
The group that helped the mouse find the cheese was twice as creative as the group that was avoiding the owl.
Discovery Mode
As soon as we get into the ‘must be safe; need to avoid danger’ mode, our natural caution seems to close off options. On the other hand, when we are seeking something, we move into a discovery mode that opens us up to new ideas.
When you need to solve problems, trying to fix a problem or avoid an outcome will make you and your team defensive and less imaginative. If you re-frame the problem as how to achieve a desirable outcome, you will do far better.
So, two steps…
- Make your team feel comfortable by setting the problem in a wider, positive context.
- Frame the problem as ‘how to… something positive’.
In short, show your team the cheese, not the owl.
What is Project Discovery?
We use Project Discovery to build:
- Understanding
We do this by exploring the situation - Knowledge
We do this by researching potential solutions
It contributes to your Project Brief, with knowledge and understanding. So it is a process of learning (which is fun). In the Discovery Stage, you explore and learn about:
- What the business needs
…and what it already has - What solutions are available
…and which may be suitable
Development Work
As part of this, in the Discovery Stage, we also do a little development work. Perhaps you might create a prototype, test some technology, or build a small part of the product you’ll go on to deliver.
Why?
Because this discovery development work will give you knowledge:
- Which solutions can work
- The likely pitfalls
- Clarity over requirements
- Customer or user experience priorities
- How long things might take
- Parameters for cost estimating
- Evidence for your business case
Iterative Projects
If all this sounds a little like ‘doing your project, before you do your project’, you’re not wrong. Projects are iterative: even traditional predictive, or ‘waterfall’, projects.
Project Discovery Video: A Summary of this Article
In this video, I address the content of this chapter for those who prefer video mode to reading.
Why Project Discovery is So Valuable: The Benefits
But the benefit is two-fold:
- By creating a Discovery Stage, you can remove a lot of uncertainty and reduce your risk significantly.
Project Discovery:- Involves experts
- Determines solutions
- Identifies value
- Evaluates alternatives
- Avoids mistakes
- Limits scope creep
- Aligns team members and stakeholders
- It’s just fun.
The Discovery stage allows us to engage in development, experimentation, and learning. It gives us valuable results, all without the pressures of a fixed requirement or quality standards.
The Five Steps of Project Discovery
I recommend a simple five-step approach to Project Discovery:
- Team Assembly
- Situational Understanding
- Problem Definition
- In-depth Research
- Detailed Evaluation
Let’s look at these one at a time…
Team Assembly
Get your team together. Favor ideas-people and be sure that all the key areas of technical and political understanding are covered. You will certainly need the Project Manager leading the team, and maybe:
- Business Analysis skills
- Technical expertise (like Solution architects, process experts, UX/UI experts)
- Creative thinkers
Brief your team well and set them off…
Situational Understanding
The first thing your team will need to do is develop a thorough understanding of the situation:
- Who the customers or users are.
- What the users/customers need and want – their requirements.
You’ll also need to understand their priorities, because you’ll not be likely to be able to fund everything!
See: - How your customers/users will assess the benefits or value of your solution.
- The goal and objectives you need to work to.
- Constraints
These may be:- Legal or regulatory
- Ethical
- Cultural and Political
- Technical
- Financial
- Commercial
- Security
Problem Definition
This is a far more important step than many people would think. Define precisely the problem your project will need to solve. A good way to do this is by crafting a statement that starts:
The problem is how to…
In-depth Research
Once you fully understand the problem and its context, you need to research possible solutions. You are looking for as many options as you can find. Then, you will filter and synthesize them to form a shortlist of the best.
While you are doing this, also keep an eye out for alternatives to undertaking a project at all. Sometimes there are simple operational solutions to what can seem like big or novel problems.
Detailed Evaluation
Finally, evaluate the options in your shortlist. Which offers the greatest value, taking into account:
- costs
- benefits
- risks
- perceptions
The answer will go forward into the processes of scoping and building a formal business case.
Going Deeper into Project Discovery
Dr. Elliot Bendoly has published numerous academic and professional articles in many journals and is the author of eight books; most recently, ‘Mastering Project Discovery’.
He has deep expertise in the topic – especially in the context of complex technical projects.. It’s beyond the scope of this article to go into the depth of Elliot’s book. That’s why I wanted to share our discussion about Project Discovery, so you can choose to pursue the topic further, if you need to.
Our Project Discovery Discussion, below
We talk about:
- What does Dr Bendoly mean by the term Project Discovery?
- Why – or maybe when – is Project Discovery important?
- The basic elements of the Project Discovery process
- The distinction between Fundamental Objectives and Means Objectives
- The distinction between Managerial Objectives and Analytical Objectives
Links for Dr Elliot Bendoly
- Connect with Dr Elliot Bendoly: LinkedIn
- Website: Mastering Project Discovery
- Book: Mastering Project Discovery
What Are Your Thoughts about Project Discovery?
Please do share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas in the comments below. As always, I am interested to read them and will respond to every contribution.
One final thought…
Do you want to speed up your projects and get faster project delivery? Of course you do.
In this video, I’ll show you how.
