Discovery Phase / KNOWLEDGE BASE
Discovery Phase: What to Define Before Development Starts
Discovery turns an idea into a set of verified decisions before active development begins. Finding contradictions in requirements at this stage is much cheaper than rewriting finished modules in production.
Clarify the problem and users
The team must understand who uses the product, which problem it solves, which flows are critical, and what constraints already exist.
Dependencies on external systems, existing infrastructure, data quality, compliance requirements, and internal business processes should also be documented.
Define the MVP
Discovery helps identify which functions form the product core and which can move to later iterations without destroying the first release's value.
This reduces initial cost and gets real usage data earlier.
Validate technical risks
Check third-party APIs, import formats, payment limitations, authentication methods, delivery services, CRM or ERP connections before approving estimates.
If a critical integration is unstable or missing the required API operation, that risk must be visible before timeline and budget are committed.
Produce concrete outputs
The result should be more than meeting notes. It should include modules, user flows, an architectural approach, integrations, risks, roadmap, and an initial estimate.
These artifacts can then be used to create a detailed technical specification and plan development iterations.
Know when discovery is complete
Discovery is sufficient when the primary flows no longer contain critical unknowns, MVP boundaries are clear, and major dependencies have been tested.
The team should be able to explain how the product moves from the first release to production and what remains for later phases.
Plan or build your web system
Define the MVP, architecture, integrations, timeline, and budget before moving into production development.