In Phase 1, we analyze your needs. Sometimes you don’t even know exactly what it is you need, but you know there’s a pain that’s costing you money. It’s like visiting the doctor’s office with a list of symptoms and letting the doctor come up with a diagnosis and a cure.
We learn everything there is to know about your particular software needs: what type of software you’re looking for, why you want it and what it will do for you. We talk to the key players—decision makers as well as end users—to find out what’s important to them. We probe using open-ended questions—like peeling back the layers of an onion—that effectively elicit true pains and their cost. We ultimately make a list of required and desired functionality.
We also help you determine if the software you think you need is really what you do need—or if the time is right for it. We look at the costs you’re incurring by not having a software solution and weigh that against the cost of the software package. If we identify a $2,000/month software solution that contains every feature you want, but you’re only losing $500/month by not having it, then the time may not be right for that solution. (Or it may be if it creates opportunities that far surpass the cost.) In the Discovery phase, we’ll explore all these possibilities before proceeding.
You see, it’s not just about issues, pain, opportunities, but rather the BIG picture. Without the skill to uncover each of these things, and the independence of a consultant to let you Explore possibilities, then you run the risk of being inundated with irrelevant solutions and service vendors. Effective discovery is good medicine!
