Running Awesome Discovery Projects

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Rob Harr RUNNING AWESOME DISCOVERY PROJECTS @robertharr

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#DaytonStrong

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We are hiring! https://seesparkbox.com/jobs Tangent!

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YMMV!

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Websites are software.

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Determining scope on software projects at the beginning is irresponsible and impossible.

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Reason 1: Determining scope on software projects upfront is impossible because: Clients are really bad at describing their actual needs.

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We are bad at estimating work because we are optimistic. Reason 1: Reason 2: Determining scope on software projects upfront is impossible because: Clients are really bad at describing their actual needs.

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Project don’t fail for technical or design reasons, they fail because of the people involved.

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I believe the biggest risk for software projects is building the wrong thing.

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Running Awesome Discovery Projects DISCOVERY PROJECTS

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What are Discovery Projects?

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What problems are we trying to solve?

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Committing to a large spend.

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Trust.

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Finding a the right client.

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Training our clients how to work with us.

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Reducing Risk.

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A well deﬁned problem, a set of goals, & determining the correct ﬁrst step. GO AL

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“We’ll know more about your project tomorrow than we do today.”

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Client Happiness = A small delta between project expectations and project reality.

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Client

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Managing Client Expectations

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Setting Client Expectations

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Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set

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Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set Expectations Managed

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Selling Discovery Projects

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“I don’t know enough to estimate this right now, I don’t think that anyone does.”

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“There is no commitment to continue on with us”

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Take the risk out of the project.

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Initial phone call and gut feel estimate.

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Estimating Discovery

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Large Discovery: 3 - 4 weeks $40,000+

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Medium Discovery: 2 - 3 weeks $25,000

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Small Discovery: 1 week $10,000 or less

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Running Awesome Discovery Projects RUNNING THE PROJECT

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All projects should be designed as human experiences.

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Prework In-person Meetings Wrap-up

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Prework In-person Meetings Client Excitement Agreement Wrap-up

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#1 Prework

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Interviews

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Who to interview?

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Feeling Heard.

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Sample Questions

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Tell us about your role and how it ties into the project. Exam ple

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What are the primary business objectives with the project? Exam ple

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Who will measure the success of the project? Exam ple

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How we will measure the success of the project? Exam ple

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Almost always the last question: (In your opinion) what will keep this project from being successful? Exam ple

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Research

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Content Audit

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Competitive Analysis

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User Interviews

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#2 In-person Meetings

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Who?

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Studio Team

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The controller & anchor

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The pusher

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The closer

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Other smart people.

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This is a giant trust exercise. Story

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Home or away?

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Designing the Meetings

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Setting Ground Rules

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Parking lot!

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Stick to your schedule.

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We always start with goals.

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What makes a good goal?

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Do not have implementation details.

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Can be measured.

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“Have an interactive, human website that shares relatable stories and reaches millennial and gen Z candidates.” Exam ple

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“Increase how often and deeply users engage with our content.” Exam ple

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“Increase revenue from new sales while maintaining renewals.” Exam ple

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Don’t forget to have fun.

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Our clients are wanting to be collaborated with.

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Embrace the unknown.

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It is ok to not have all of the answers.

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“That is a great question, let me get back to you with an answer.”

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We always end with prioritization and phasing.

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Other ideas http://goodkickoffmeetings.com/

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Don’t forget to share what the process will look like after you leave.

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Prework In-person Meetings Client Excitement Agreement Wrap-up

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#3 Wrap up

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Prework In-person Meetings Client Excitement Agreement Wrap-up

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Deliverables

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Project Brief

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Technical Strategy

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Experience Strategy

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Collaborative Estimate

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A well deﬁned problem, a set of goals, & determining the correct ﬁrst step. GO AL

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Running Awesome Discovery Projects CLOSING THE DEAL

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Prework In-person Meetings Client Excitement Agreement Wrap-up

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Keep it simple.

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Negotiation

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Know where you stand.

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Running Awesome Discovery Projects THINGS I THINK I HAVE LEARNED.

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Don’t write code. Don’t create wireframes. Don’t design anything.

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RFPs

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Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business:

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Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1:

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If you ever become annoyed by a client, it is only because you’re not charging them enough money. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1: Rule 2:

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THANKS! @robertharr rob@heysparkbox.com