
Discovery Sprints
Does your business need to accelerate a product or project quickly?
Get clarity on scope, high-level requirements and delivery impacts in only four weeks.
Four Good Reasons for a
Four Week Discovery Sprint
In Waterfall (or hybrid) projects, business analysts might spend months developing detailed business requirements upfront - only for scope to change once development commences. Even in Agile, teams can still spend eight to twelve weeks (or longer) to craft a scope statement and high-level requirements before iterative development sprints can even begin.
Sprints are at the heart of Agile and Scrum best-practice. A design sprint can accelerate innovation by rapidly prototyping and testing ideas, leading to faster, more informed decision-making. A development sprint is a short, timeboxed piece of work (typically 1 to 4 weeks) that allows teams to breakdown big, complex projects into bite-size chunks and working on specific features in short, focused cycles.
The Four Week Discovery Sprint is a fixed fee, rapid documentation service that helps organisations get to clear scope statements and high-level requirements in only four weeks. It's the first step to successful delivery.

Initiate a new product or project
Scope statements and high-level requirements define the ‘guardrails’ for a project. They cover the key deliverables, objectives, boundaries and required features. They are the initial ‘blueprint’ for the capability that will actually be built.

Engage & align stakeholders
When multiple business units and stakeholders are involved, clear scope and high-level requirements align expectations reducing the risk of miscommunication and scope creep down-track.

Test functional & technical viability
Once requirements from all stakeholders have been captured, the capability can be properly pressure-tested. Is the product or project actually viable?

Secure funding & final approval
Scope statements and high-level requirements provide decision-makers with a full understanding of the project in order to secure funding and approval to proceed from Discovery to Development.
Accelerate your scope, high-level requirements and delivery assessment.

How does it work?
The Discovery Sprint is a four week mission of concentrated activity.
Week 1 is focused on kick-off and stakeholder workshops.
Week 2 is a head-down week, actively doing the work on compiling your Document Package.
Week 3 is my first opportunity to present the draft Document Package and validate the findings and requirements.
Week 4 includes final amends and delivery.
Everything you need to finalise project approvals and move forward to implementation. *

What exactly is included?
A good Business Analyst / Delivery Lead can cover a lot of ground in four weeks.
I start by embedding myself into your business to develop a deeper understanding of your strategy, customers and competitive environment.
And I’ll hear directly from your team about the business or technology impacts that apply to them.
I finish by leaving you with a comprehensive Final Document Package that includes everything
you need to finalise approvals and move forward to implementation and delivery.
Final Document Package
1. Findings Summary: This includes notes from the workshops and research including ‘verbatim’ comments from your team and any customers we may speak with.
2. Product / Project Scope Statement: defines the ‘footprint’ of the product or project and summarises the scope that will be further defined in the high-level requirements.
3. High Level Business Requirements: Captures the key ‘features and functions’ that must be built in order for the project scope to be delivered. High-Level requirements are developed based on inputs captured in stakeholder workshops, and consider features/stories across both technology and the business (ie: marketing, finance, customer service, analytics, legal).
4. Delivery Impact Assessment: This is a precursor to a detailed Project
Plan / Delivery Roadmap. It includes a stakeholder RACI; high-level RAIDD that considers the immediate risks and dependencies, high-level change management impacts and potential timeline to delivery.
* Please note: the Delivery Impact Assessment does not include a Business Case / Costs
Engagements
1. Two hour kick-off workshop: Week 1 starts with a two hour in-depth discovery workshop to build out my understanding of your business and the vision for your product or project. I’ll ask lots of questions about the customer journey and ‘end user’ impacts (such as customer service), critical features and functions, technical impacts, operational impacts (such as legal and marketing), your desired roadmap and milestones to delivery.
2. Stakeholder workshops: In week 1, I will also meet with key stakeholders from across your business to capture their specific requirements and ensure their business or technology critical impacts are documented.
3. Playback and refinement workshops: Scheduled for Week 3, to review and validate my findings with stakeholders and your core team.
4. Check-in meetings (up to 2x weekly): To ensure regular communication throughout the Discovery Sprint.
Book a Discovery Sprint
Kick-start your next product or project now.
To find out more, please call Tamara on 0451 954 062 or request a consultation by completing the form.
Let's Discovery Sprint together
Acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands throughout Australia on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Week 1 (Workshops)
Kick-Off Workshop:
Two hour kick-off workshop to build out my understanding of your business and the vision for your product or project.
Stakeholder Workshops:
I will meet with key stakeholders from across your business to capture their specific requirements and ensure their business critical impacts are documented.
Workshops can be on-site or remote.
Initial Findings Summary:
Notes from the workshops will be compiled and shared in an initial Findings Summary.
Additional Workshops:
Any final workshops will continue this week.
Develop Document Package:
The primary focus this week is concentrated work on the Document Package.
Week 2 (Development)
Week 3 (Playback)
Initial Playback:
I’ll present the draft Document Package to yourself and your core team early in the week.
Refinement Workshops:
I’ll host up to two refinement workshops with key stakeholders to review and validate their requirements.
Week 4 (Final Delivery)
Final Amends:
Final amendments to the Document Package based on stakeholder feedback.
Final Playback and Deliver Document Package:
Before the end of Week 4. I’ll host one final playback workshop and handover the final Document Package.
Pre-Work (1-2 Weeks Prior)
Research:
I’ll start by reviewing any background material you provide (strategy documents, marketing literature, etc) and do my own research into your business and industry.
Workshop Scheduling and Prep:
Workshops for Week 1 are scheduled.
Icebreaker emails and any pre-read materials are developed and sent to your team.
Prep work for the workshops and final document package commences.