Short answer
A discovery phase is a short, paid engagement that precedes a build and produces the artefacts a build needs: a written scope, user flows, a technical approach, and an estimate grounded in something other than a guess. The output is a decision document, and stopping is one of the acceptable outcomes.
Also called: Discovery, Scoping phase, Product discovery
Discovery is separated from the build because estimating a system nobody has specified produces one of two numbers: a padded one that protects the studio, or an optimistic one that turns into a difficult conversation in month three. A short paid engagement replaces both with a scope that has been thought through, and it doubles as the first honest test of whether the two parties work well together.
A useful discovery output is portable. Flows, a written scope, a sketch of the data model, a technical approach with its risks named, and an estimate tied to that scope should all be legible to a different development team. A document only its author can act on is not finished. Discovery that concludes the project should not proceed in its current shape has done its job and saved the larger budget.
Common questions
Do I have to build with whoever runs discovery?
Not if the output is written properly. A scope, flows and a technical approach should be clear enough that another team could quote against them. Most clients continue with the same team because the context has already been transferred rather than because switching is blocked, and what happens to the discovery artefacts either way is worth settling in the agreement upfront.
Where this comes up in our work
Related terms
Software Requirements Specification (SRS)
A software requirements specification is the written document defining what a system must do: functional requirements as testable statements, non-functional requirements such as performance and access control, plus constraints and assumptions.
Scope Creep
Scope creep is the gradual expansion of a project’s requirements after the scope is agreed, usually through small additions that each seem too minor to renegotiate.
Wireframe
A wireframe is a low-fidelity layout of a screen showing structure, hierarchy and content placement without colour, typography or imagery.
Fixed-Scope vs Time-and-Materials
Fixed-scope and time-and-materials are the two standard ways to price software work.
Reading definitions because you are scoping a project? Skip ahead and just ask.