Software development is a complex process that involves designing, developing, testing, and deploying software applications.
However, approximately one out of every 5 software development projects tends to miss deadlines or exceed the budget set for the project. Now, as you are here, favorable software development is surely on your mind. But this process takes a toll on time, resources, and efforts to match all requirements. And subsequently, the discovery phase emanates as the most critical phase of the entire software development project.
So before you get into any substantial action, read this blog to know what the discovery phase is, its importance, and what goes into this process.
What is the Discovery Phase in Software Development?
Any software project begins with the discovery phase. The process accounts for future products, defining their objectives, requirements, technical specifications, and constraints, if any. This collaborative process involves stakeholders and core project team members to identify the symptoms.
This phase outlines the bespoke software project’s goals, timeline, and budget, and begins with understanding the project’s insights and assessing its feasibility. Determine which software platforms, programming languages, and tools are required.
Ideally, the discovery process goes on like this:
Brainstorming, preparing presentations & questionnaires based on client & their business ideas.
Defining the product’s target audiences.
Conducting market research & analyzing competitors.
Determining the scope of work & setting deadlines.
Assigning experts to the project.
Who is involved in the Discovery Phase?
The discovery phase involves various stakeholders, including:
Client: The client is the primary stakeholder in the project and provides information on their business objectives, target audience, and competitors.
Project manager: The project manager is responsible for overseeing the project’s progress and ensuring that it meets the client’s requirements.
Development team: The development team is responsible for app development software and ensuring that it meets the technical requirements.
Design team: The design team is responsible for creating a user-friendly and visually appealing interface for the software application.
Testing team: The testing team is responsible for ensuring that the software application is free of bugs and meets the client’s requirements.
What’s the need for the discovery phase in businesses?
Businesses require to run on strict timelines & budgets. The discovery phase ensures that the delivery of the project is done within the set parameters. The phase helps in:
Defining Project Scope: The phase helps in defining objectives, timelines & budget.
Identify potential risks and challenges: Though any project runs on strict timeless, external factors may affect a project’s timeline & budget. This stage identifies potential risks & challenges that hamper the development stage.
Ensuring the requirements of the final product: The discovery phase also ensures whether your chosen custom software development company is able to develop the final product and is meeting the business’s goals of maintaining high quality or not.
Communicate their vision to the project team: The discovery phase helps businesses communicate their vision to the project team and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
When is a Discovery Phase Needed?
Complexity: A discovery phase is needed when the project is complex and involves multiple teams sharing their viewpoint on the same.
Budget: High, low, or restricted budget, discovery phase ensures that the project is delivered within the specified budget.
Timeline: The duration of any project is the most sensitive & important aspect. The delivery phase checkmarks whether the project can be accomplished within the timeline.
Innovation: A discovery phase is needed when the custom software project is innovative to ensure that the project meets the business’s vision.
Main Activities of a Project Discovery Phase
Analyzing requirements: The project team gathers information on the business’s objectives, target audience, and competitors, as well as the project’s technical requirements.
Conducting research: The project team conducts research to gain insights into the project’s industry, target audience, and competitors.
Planning: The project team creates a detailed project plan that outlines the project’s goals, timeline, and budget.
Wireframes & prototypes: The design team works on the visualization of the software by creating its wireframes and prototypes to improve functionality.
Roadmap: Creating a roadmap outlines the project’s milestones and deliverables.
Benefits of the Discovery Phase
Reduced development costs: By identifying potential risks and challenges, unnecessary costs project development costs can be reduced.
Improved project timeline: When factors that may affect the project’s timeline are identified, it gives scope to mitigate them.
Improved communication: It ensures that everyone is on the same page and understands the project’s objectives, timeline, and budget.
To conclude, the discovery phase covers all major aspects that may affect or improve the entire software development process. It defines the scope, timeline, potential risks & quality. When looking for custom software development services, Samyak Infotech Pvt Ltd can ensure their software application development meets their needs with a satisfactory discovery phase.
explore more