Discovery and scoping before you commit to a build.
Most projects that go over budget were never properly scoped. Discovery fixes that. Over a short, agreed period, a senior engineer works through your goals, users, risks and systems, prototypes the riskiest part and turns it all into a written scope with a timeline and a fixed quote in pounds.
- Free 30-minute call
- Fixed quote in writing
- Code you own
What is a discovery phase in software development?
A discovery phase is a short piece of work before a build that establishes what should be built and why: the goals, users, risks, systems and costs. It ends with a written scope, a plan and an estimate, so the build itself starts from facts rather than assumptions.
It follows the same idea as the discovery phase in the UK government's own service manual: learn what is needed before building it (GOV.UK Service Manual). You keep everything discovery produces, whether or not you build with us.
What discovery gives you.
Not sure it is the right fit? Ask an engineer first.
Thirty minutes with a senior engineer, free and with no obligation. Bring the problem, not a brief.
How discovery runs.
Yours to keep, whatever you decide.
Discovery can be the first stage of a build or a piece of work on its own. Either way, what it covers is agreed in writing before it starts, and everything it produces belongs to you. If you decide to build with someone else, or not at all, you leave with a brief and a plan that any competent team can follow.
Often built alongside it.
Frequently asked questions.
Is discovery the same as the free consultation?
No. The free thirty-minute call is a conversation about whether we can help. Discovery is the detailed work that follows, agreed in writing before it starts, where a senior engineer works through your project and produces documents you keep.
How long does discovery take?
Usually one to two weeks for a typical website, app or bespoke system, and longer for complex platforms or regulated work. What discovery covers and how long it takes are agreed in writing before it starts.
Do we have to build with you afterwards?
No. You own the brief, the risk register, the architecture outline and the prototype. Many clients do carry on with us, because the team that scoped the work knows it best, but there is no obligation.
What do you need from us during discovery?
A decision-maker for the kick-off and the final walk-through, access to the people who will use the system and a look at the tools and data you already have. Most clients spend a few hours on it in total.
Still have a question? Ring 07723 431000 and speak to an engineer.