Discovery: why is this often seen as a dirty word?!
Somewhere in a board room or leadership away day having navigated the pitfalls of your character type or over a series or heated workshops, you have decided you need to make a change as a business.
Why? Well, you’re struggling to scale, you’re losing traction in the market, you have not launched new products for a while, you need to pivot or responds to customer or market trends - whatever the need is you recognise the need evolve your business.
So, you pick a technology based on any number of factors, kick things off with a vendor and you hit a roadblock. Somewhere, somehow what you needed as a business got lost in translation and you’ve just spent £ (insert relevant sums of cash here) and haven’t made progress. The business is disgruntled, the board unhappy and you are no further forward than you were before the leadership offsite.
Shocked? Well don’t be, you are not alone. From scale ups to some of the largest organisations on the globe we’ve seen failure across the board. Now we’ll spare you the platitudes and quotes, we’ve all read them, but they don’t offer any comfort or importantly offer a route to success.
What did we get wrong? Never has the old parable about the man building his house on the sand been more relevant, the lack of preparation and ground work has led to an inevitable state of realisation that something has gone wrong.
Before you start any change programme or imitative the need for discovery is critical to success, and this blog aims to walk through, warts and all, some of the key themes we see in almost every change initiative.
We haven’t defined the why.
The why is the first conversation to be had. Forget solutioning and thinking about a big named software solution, great as they are, to sweep in and deliver what you need, spend the time defining what your needs are as a business, what you need to achieve and what the outcomes you seek as a leadership are.
Start with the absolute basics, get to grips with the why and avoid jumping to the solution, set your expectations and build the case for change.
Get aligned
We promised no stats, but it’s hard to not quote this. In a failing change initiative or programme 100% of the time we see a lack of alignment across the leadership. It’s almost impossible to deliver success when those sponsoring and ultimately responsible for the change have differing opinions or conflicting agendas.
This creates confusion, leads to a breakdown in communication and fundamentally creates a fracture within the delivery team.
Successful organisational change must be collaborative, and the litmus test for us is can we speak to the leadership individually and they all align on the objectives? If they can’t, fix it.
If you are a CEO, CIO or executive sponsor and suspect you have a failing change initiative, look to your leadership and challenge them.
A successful programme of change has a consistent message and set of objectives and outcomes running through it’s core, and your leadership must be bought in to these.
Discovery becomes a strategic compass
At its core, discovery is about understanding the landscape before making critical decisions. It allows organisations to clarify their business strategy and goals by examining existing processes, market conditions, and technological capabilities. This phase helps identify opportunities, risks, and dependencies, ensuring that the programme is not only aligned with strategic objectives but also positioned to deliver meaningful value.
Without discovery, organisations risk embarking on initiatives without a clear understanding of what they aim to achieve or how they will get there. Discovery provides the insights needed to define a roadmap that connects strategy to execution, making it an indispensable phase in effective programme delivery.
Don’t see discovery as a catalyst for spend
Yes, it will require investment, but there should be no doubt that in the long run, if executed correctly, a well-planned discovery phase led by experienced heads will save your organisation money, frustration and fatigue in the long run.
Like any phase of a programme, define the outcomes. For discovery you need to focus on strategic objectives, a business case that stacks up, an investment case and importantly a set of KPIs or metrics to measure success that run alongside any delivery.
Don’t get bogged down in what you do now
This message never lands very well, especially in older organisations who run bloated processes on legacy technology. The thought process that says ‘we can’t’ or ‘we have to do it this way’ creates drag in moving forward.
If you know ultimately that you need to invest in technology, what value is there mapping your past over focussing on the future state?
Consider looking at use cases that cover your needs as a business, if you spend time and effort mapping current business processes, you’ll always run the risk that you embed the past into the future or in most cases never actually build the picture you think you will.
There is a place for mapping, especially in more complex business but don’t lose sight of the reason you are looking to change. Don’t build legacy into your future, challenge the past.
Think about the people
Not all organisations are ready for change, and often the people are not able to adapt. It’s a harsh reality, but many or most organisations don’t have the capacity for change and often they lack the capability. This isn’t a problem if you can bring in the capability to affect change positively.
Not all companies are Amazon or Apple, these companies are built to consistently evolve and as such, change in second nature and the mindset of their people is such that they embrace and adapt over racing to the bottom.
As we’ve seen with many organisations in the past, a lack of willingness to change, to adapt or to modernise their ways of thinking often mean they need to look inwardly at their people and assess if change is right for them. Often there are uncomfortable conversations to be had, but they are important as positive mindsets are the key to the success of your business.
Preparing for the organisations journey
Change, no matter how small, requires preparation. The discovery phase equips both business and change teams with the insights and context they need to navigate the complexities of transformation.
By engaging stakeholders early and often, discovery fosters a shared understanding of objectives and challenges, reducing resistance and enhancing collaboration.
This phase also uncovers gaps in readiness, whether related to skills, processes, or technologies. Addressing these gaps upfront ensures that teams are not only prepared for the road ahead but also empowered to drive change effectively. In essence, discovery is about building a solid foundation that minimizes disruption and maximizes impact.
Setting a Benchmark for Success
One of the most valuable outcomes of discovery is the establishment of a baseline against which future success can be measured. By documenting current-state processes, performance metrics, and stakeholder expectations, organizations create a reference point for evaluating progress and outcomes.
This benchmark is critical for measuring the value delivered by the programme. It provides a clear picture of what success looks like, enabling teams to track improvements, demonstrate ROI, and make data-driven decisions throughout the transformation journey. Without this foundation, it becomes difficult to assess whether the programme is delivering on its promises.
Delivering the Value
Ultimately, the goal of any programme is to deliver value—whether through improved efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, or increased revenue. Discovery ensures that this value is clearly defined and understood from the outset.
By aligning initiatives with strategic objectives and preparing teams for execution, discovery sets the stage for achieving meaningful outcomes.
Far from being a roadblock, discovery is a catalyst for success. It provides the clarity, alignment, and preparation needed to navigate the complexities of programme delivery, ensuring that organizations not only meet their goals but also exceed expectations. By embracing discovery as a strategic enabler, businesses can unlock their full potential and deliver the value they seek.
As with all our clients, we’re focussed on working with them to deliver the best outcomes and ensure that change equates to success. If you’d like to discuss your change initiatives with one of our lead practitioners, please get in touch and we’d love to arrange a meeting – hello@incubusdigital.com
