What Is the Technical Discovery Phase and When to Use It?

The Importance of Technical Discovery

Statistically, as many as 9 out of 10 startups fail.

If we think of it, startups start with an idea, yet this idea often changes halfway, forcing them to reconsider their goals. The problem is that carrying out a project from start to finish can be incredibly complicated.

Since the process is far more complex than most can expect, it’s a common thing for startups to reach for quick ‘bandaid’ solutions. This occurs both in terms of strategy, and—what we’re going to discuss here today—technology. There is no blame for not being aware of technology’s role in today’s business world. After all, it’s not exactly common knowledge. And technology changes pretty damn fast.

However, the most competitive businesses understand the significance of technology. This means they carefully choose which is tech best for their particular case. Online business is more competitive than ever. If you’re looking to challenge others in performance, SEO, and Google rank, you’re going to need to be aware of the latest tech possibilities.

What Is the Technical Discovery Phase?

Think of the technical discovery phase as planning to build a house. You don’t just do it—you need a plan of action. There are a lot of factors to consider before you build a house, like checking your budget, looking for ideas, and consulting with architects to choose the best solutions to suit your needs.

Just like the process of building a house, the technical discovery phase is an exhaustive and detailed investigation of all of the technical possibilities that will best align your project business goals with the project scope. It’s performed in cooperation between the provider and you. It allows for the best understanding of the customer’s expectations and goals and choosing the best tech stack to meet these. 

The investigation necessary for the technical discovery consists of asking numerous questions. We need to know about the business goals of the project, its target audience, the needs of the audience, and problems, as well as the main competitors of the project. During this phase, it’s very important to identify what materials need to be provided by the customer.

This process, however, doesn’t concern debuting projects only. Sometimes the already-existing projects need some upgrading and the technical discovery phase comes in handy as well. In this case, it’s more like renovating your house –replacing old-fashioned wallpapers with new ones, or removing them altogether, fixing the creaky old floor and the leaky pipes. It’s a way to identify problems and find the best solutions.

Benefits of Technical Discovery

Technical discovery comes with a number of benefits. They can all foster the chances of your project’s better functionality and overall success.

In essence, technical discovery is a blueprint that allows you to take steps in the right direction from the get-go. The point is to save you from running in the dark. Check how we see it at Pagepro.

Clarity

The first and probably the most important benefit is the clarity that technical discovery brings. Technical discovery helps you clarify your business goals and priorities and align technology to meet them as closely as possible.

Also, such investigation enables you to deeply understand the actual state of your project with its strengths and weaknesses and how likely it is to succeed on the market.

Plan of action

Another key benefit is that once the process is complete, you know exactly where you stand in regard to your project. The initial project backlog is prepared entirely by us. You get a clear plan of action including its timeframe and cost estimation. In essence, we pour our greatest knowledge and come up with a fully transparent plan. You can have us lead the whole thing from start to finish, or have absolute control yourself.  Either way, we provide you with a plan on how to carry out your project in the most efficient way. That way, you receive a market-driven project that best matches your and your audience’s expectations.

Choosing the Right Tech

Based on our experience we suggest optimal tools including open-source and no-code solutions to shorten the time to market and optimize the required investment.

This stage ends with documentation and final approval from both sides. In the end, we want to make sure that we’ve chosen the best technical approach and the right infrastructure for your project. 

Long-term Solution

The technical discovery phase allows you to choose a long-term solution instead of applying endless bandaids. The whole process is done in a clear and well-thought-through way which further minimizes the risk of having to change the initial idea halfway. It’s an investment for the future.

Outcompete Other Projects

Choosing the best technology for your project as well as an effective plan of action leads to a better performance of your project. And a better performance of your project means better user experience, and ultimately, better conversion. Small improvements like this are exactly what turn good projects into great ones. 
If you’re interested in learning more about tech that could make your product more effective, check our playlist on effective product development!

Do You Need a Technical Discovery Phase?

• Is your project technically complex? Straying is unacceptable when it comes to carrying out a successful project. During the technical discovery phase, you get simpler and better technical solutions for your project and start moving in the right direction.
• Looking to optimize the budget? The technical discovery phase is the way to go. You will get a clear cost estimation and the risk of some unexpected spending will be significantly decreased. Additionally, we’re going to help you choose the tech stack that will work in the long term instead of a temporary, bandaid solution. 
• Are you overpaying for features? Modern websites are plagued with features that have no real impact on improving user experience on conversion. In other words—they are useless. What’s more, some features are overly complex and clunky for no reason at all and can be easily replaced by lightweight, no-code solutions.
• Are you losing SEO? Technical issues and limitations will lead to decreased website performance. This in turn will lead to poorer performance in terms of search engine optimization. Generally speaking, technical discovery can greatly enhance your project in terms of general performance, which in turn is going to lead to an improved Google rank. 
• Are you looking to identify high-value business opportunities and set up priorities? The discovery phase gives you the opportunity to understand how to carry out your project in an efficient and thought-through way. It amends your chances for success.

Technical Discovery Process Step by Step

Every business is a little bit different. During the technical discovery phase, it is important to find balance and deliver whatever the client needs. There are clients with technical backgrounds who understand that their website needs a few tweaks. If a client looks to improve their SEO rank, we’re going to take the steps necessary to make sure it happens. In a situation when a client wants to decrease bounce rates and improve conversion—we’re there. If the client’s website takes too long to load and they want to make it faster—we do whatever it takes to brush off a couple of very expensive extra seconds. 

At Pagepro, we have a solid, battle-tested process, which ensures our clients always get exactly what they need.

The Kick-off Phase

We start the procedure with a 60-minute kickoff meeting. During this meeting, we explain what the discovery phase will look like so that you will understand the process and gain clarity on the work progress.

The Clarification Phase

Then it’s time for the clarification stage during which we investigate your business background and clarify the main goals and objectives of your project by asking you a series of questions, such as:

• What are your website’s business goals? 
• Who is your audience, and what are their goals? 
• Where is your traffic coming from? 
• Which browsers are your visitors using? 
• What kind of devices your visitors are using? 
• What does your traffic acquisition look like (traffic sources)?
• How visitors are looking for your website?
• List your key competitors  

This phase takes about 2-3 days and concludes with documentation and approval from both sides

The Investigation Phase

After the clarification phase comes the investigation stage during which we look for the main issues of the current versions as well as possibilities to fix them.
We generally go through: 

• Your Sitemap
• Your Current Page Templates
• Current Functionalities
• Current integrations
• Marketing & Analytics Tools
• This stage lasts for about a week and also ends with approval on both sides

The Definition Phase

Then comes the definition stage during which we present the best technical approach to suit your needs. We seek to optimize your project as well as shorten the time to launch, therefore we most often suggest open-source and no-code solutions. For example, when working on a project for Just In Case Estates we managed to cut both time & costs of development by 50%. This stage also lasts for about a week and again ends with final approval. 

Tech Stack We Suggested in the Just In Case Project

The Planning Phase

The final stage is the planning stage during which we prepare a detailed action plan. This includes the timeline and cost estimation. Most importantly, we come up with the most efficient and cost-effective tech stack specifically designed for your project.

It’s Not All Black and White

Even though we do have a strong, and test process, we are far from stubborn. We are always listening to our client’s feedback. In the end, the process may vary, depending on what exactly you are looking for. We make sure to provide you with the best offer we can. You, on the other hand, are welcome to change things up.

Summary

The technical discovery phase is essential to building a successful, market-driven project. Simply put, this phase puts you in a position where you’re sure you getting the product that you want. Another thing is that you create a great user experience that your customers will enjoy.

The main benefit of the technical discovery phase is that it’s a way to create a clear and detailed plan of action. This includes cost estimation and timeline. Having all these factors thought through minimizes the risk of being forced to change your initial idea halfway. Instead of temporary solutions, you invest in long-term ones.

Finally, performing the technical discovery phase minimizes the risk of your project failing. That’s why you’re better off not skipping this stage.

If your website is your main source of income, investing in a technical discovery should be on your to-do list. In the competitive world of eCommerce, you have to make sure your project is a complete long-term solution.