DISCOVERY Checklist for Business Analysts

by BACareerMentor.com

6-12 weeks
Definition Discovery Team In Context

Discovery - is a deep dive into customer’s business processes to

correctly identify the problem, outline project scope, assumptions
and the timeline. Discovery is a mandatory requirement for Consulting Business Solution Project
successful project execution. Presale Discovery Delivery Hypercare
Lead / UX Analyst Architect Manager

PREPARATION 01 EXECUTION 02 ANALYSIS & TRANSITION 03

❏ Collect all available information: project goals,
timelines, contact points, technology constraints
❏ Assemble discovery team
❏ Learn about previous experience with the same
or similar: customer, domain, technology,
location
❏ Use questionnaires to elicit preliminary
information about client organization,
workflows, as-is processes
❏ Arrange discovery agenda
❏ Ensure that the agenda is co-owned by the
whole team
❏ Approve discovery agenda with the client
❏ Arrange discovery logistics: airfare,
accommodations, visa, transportation, and
per-diems
❏ Never be late, check equipment beforehand;
come prepared with slides and questions
❏ Record sessions and take meeting notes
❏ Collect and track all action items; follow-up
within 3 business days
❏ Moderate and facilitate discussions
❏ Make sure everybody is heard
At the kick-off, discuss and capture the following:
❏ Identify project SMEs and executive sponsors
❏ Project goals, current pain points, timeline
expectations, as-is business process
❏ Discovery team and the agenda; agree on the
timelines as the outcomes
❏ Where to capture discovery outcomes
(Sharepoint, Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, etc.)
❏ Plan for at least 2 weeks to analyze discovery
outcomes and prepare the resulting artifacts
❏ Schedule remote follow-ups with the client to
clarify the scope and requirements before the
final wrap-up
❏ Ensure that the following project documents
are prepared and signed-off before the
delivery starts: Project plan with the projected
launch date, Statement of Work
At the knowledge transfer/transition meeting,
present the following to the delivery team:
❏ History of discovery and client profile; who is
who on the client side
❏ Problem statement and the project goal
❏ Success criteria and the timeline

Agenda Checklist Meeting Types Artifacts

❏ 15 min breaks every 2 hours; 1hr lunch break ❏ Kick-off ❏ Daily huddle ❏ UX/UI wireframes ❏ MVP Backlog / NFRs
❏ Travel days: Friday, Thursday ❏ Show-and-tell ❏ Status updates and designs ❏ DoR, DoD
❏ No meetings after 3pm ❏ Interviews ❏ Wrap-up ❏ As-Is / To-be ❏ Goals for Sprint 0
❏ Daily team huddle at 4pm ❏ Workshops ❏ Backlog review process definition ❏ User stories for Sprint #1