Discovery
Discovery is focused on learning: learning the analytical needs of our clients; educating ourselves about the people who will use the solutions (and ultimately determine its success); and investigating how data and business intelligence can serve their needs. This phase is about inquiry – what questions would clients answer by using our solutions? Does this solution advance the University’s strategic plan? How do they want to access it (BI reporting vs. data visualization vs. direct query access)? What are our options and constraints; including security? Discovery is also about analysis – how do we transform the source data to support the client’s needs? Is there additional information from the client to consider? This may be the most intense, fluid phase and requires the most creativity, coordination, and inspiration.
Project activities
- Stakeholder/client interviews (business needs, constraints, security)
- Analysis of current data sets
- Source data evaluation
- Agree on client needs and objectives
- Understand end users, their needs, and context
- Start defining scope of the solution
- Gather inspiration for possible solutions
- Fine-tune project expectations & responsibiltiies
Deliverables and outcomes
- Requirements documentation
- Security needs documented
- User stories (functional test cases)
- Understanding of source data system
- Rough schedule/project plan