December 2, 2024

The Power of Discovery: Ensuring Software Project Success

The High Stakes of Software Development

According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), nearly half of tech programs (49%) exceed their budgets by at least 31%, with some overshooting by up to 100%. The reasons?

  • Lack of clarity or alignment on business outcomes (43%)
  • Unrealistic timelines (42%)
  • Insufficient dedicated resources (36%)

These statistics reveal a glaring issue: ineffective discovery. Without a proper discovery process to align goals, define scope, and address potential challenges, projects often face spiraling costs, missed deadlines, or outright failure.

But this doesn’t have to be your story. By prioritizing effective discovery, you can set the stage for project success and transform your partnership with a software development consultancy.

Software Projects Don’t Have to Be Late, Costly, and Irrelevant, 2024
Software Projects Don’t Have to Be Late, Costly, and Irrelevant, 2024

Why Discovery is Crucial

Imagine you're comparing bids for a software project. One proposal comes in at $50,000, and another at $500,000. Which is the better option? The truth is, neither—if effective discovery isn’t part of the process.

  • The $50,000 Trap: Low-ball bids often fail to account for technical roadblocks. When unforeseen challenges arise, scope creep drives costs far beyond the original estimate.
  • The $500,000 Gamble: High bids frequently pad their estimates to cover potential risks, leaving you paying for problems that haven’t been properly defined.

At the root of these issues is a lack of upfront discovery. Without this foundational step, even the best intentions can lead to failure.

Actionable Strategies for Success

To ensure your project is set up for success, it’s time to slow down and invest in discovery. Here’s how:

Embrace Discovery Sprints

  • Duration: 2–6 weeks
  • Cost: $5,000–$15,000
  • Purpose: Inventory systems, define requirements, and identify roadblocks. A discovery sprint allows your partner to understand your business needs and technology stack. The outcome? A roadmap that de-risks your project and improves proposal accuracy—whether or not you continue working with the same consultancy.

Conduct Trial Projects

  • Goal: Assess cultural fit and technical expertise.
  • Benefits: Allows your partner to address non-urgent tasks, such as tech debt, while getting to know your organization. Trial projects serve as a “test drive” for your partnership. If things don’t align, you can part ways with minimal investment. If they do, you’re set for a smooth transition into larger-scale work.

Key Takeaways

The discovery phase isn’t a checkbox; it’s the foundation for project success. With thoughtful discovery sprints and trial projects, you can:

  • Accurately assess potential partners.
  • De-risk your investment.
  • Set the stage for timely, cost-effective, and impactful outcomes.

Why Choose Seven Hills Technology

At Seven Hills Technology, we specialize in navigating complex, high-stakes projects. Through a commitment to effective discovery and collaborative trial engagements, we turn messy challenges into success stories.

Let’s start with a small win—because the right beginning makes all the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

No items found.

Latest Posts

We’ve helped our partners to digitally transform their organizations by putting people first at every turn.

29/1/2023
Native vs. React Native For Mobile App Development

In this article, we address the advantages and disadvantages of native apps and compare them to those of React Native apps. We will then propose one example of a ‘good fit’ native app and a ‘good fit’ React Native app. The article concludes with a general recommendation for when you should build your application natively and when to do so in React Native.

15/1/2021
Azure Security Best Practices

Adoption of cloud services like Microsoft Azure is accelerating year over year. Around half of all workloads and data are already in a public cloud, with small businesses expanding rapidly and expecting up to 70% of their systems to be in a public cloud within the next 12 months. Are you sure your data is secure?

19/10/2020
High Cohesion, Low Coupling

In this short article I would like to show you one example of High Cohesion and Low Coupling regarding Software Development. Imagine that you have a REST API that have to manage Users, Posts and Private Message between users. One way of doing it would be like the following example: As you can see, the […]

6/12/2019
How to Find a Software Development Company

You’ve identified the need for new software for your organization. You want it built and maintained but don’t have the knowledge, time, or ability to hire and manage a software staff. So how do you go about finding a software development company for your project? Step 1: Search for Existing Software The first step in […]

19/11/2019
3 Common Problems with Custom Software Development

Custom software is a great way to increase efficiency and revenue for your organization. However, creating custom software means more risk for you. Here are a few common problems to avoid when building your next mobile or web app. 1. Cost Overrun One of the biggest challenges of custom software development is gathering requirements. The process […]

3/11/2019
Staff Augmentation vs. Project-based Consulting

So, you want to build some software. But where do you start? Maybe you’re not ready to take on the large task of hiring a team internally. Of all the options out there for building your software, two of the most common are staff augmentation and project-based consulting. So what’s best for you, staff augmentation […]

28/10/2019
Agile Isn’t the Problem

Failed implementing agile in your organization? Agile isn't the problem.

10/9/2019
Should you hire software developers?

Are you ready to hire software developers? It might be worth more investigation.

29/8/2019
How long does a project take?

Breaking down how we work and what goes into each project.

19/8/2019
Observability of Systems

Solve your next production issue with less headache and better insight.

28/6/2019
Web vs Mobile: What’s Right for You?

How to use empathy to drive decisions around the platform for your future application.

17/6/2019
5 Tricks To Help Developers with Design

Developers tend to struggle with design, but there are a few quick changes that can make your software shine.

29/10/2018
Why should you use a G Suite Resller?

As of February 2018, Google had 4 million businesses using G Suite for email and file storage, collaborating on documents, video conferencing and more.