How We Work → Billing Options → Discovery Sprint
Two weeks to clarity.
A Discovery Sprint is a fixed-fee, time-boxed engagement that turns hazy ideas into a build-ready blueprint, raises your Feature Clarity Index (FCI), and de-risks the budget before a single line of code is written.
Why Run a Discovery Sprint?
| Symptom | How the Sprint Helps |
|---|---|
| Vision clear, but specs are fuzzy | Structured workshops convert ideas into BPMN diagrams & BDD scenarios. |
| Stakeholders disagree on scope / value | Gamified decision sessions surface priorities and trade-offs. |
| Unknown integrations or data issues | Technical spikes expose API gaps, data quality, security constraints. |
| You need a credible budget number | FCI scoring + effort model delivers ± 20 % cost range. |
Sprint Objectives
- Raise FCI to ≥ 5 (or prove the concept isn't ready to build).
- Produce a signed architecture & backlog pack.
- Deliver a risk heat-map and mitigation plan.
- Generate a budget & timeline forecast (< ± 20 % variance).
Time-Box & Cadence
| Day | AM | PM |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Kick-off, success metrics | Stakeholder canvas |
| Tue | BPMN L1 vision map | BPMN L2 business flow |
| Wed | BPMN L3 system swim-lanes | Pain-point heat-map |
| Thu | BDD discovery | Prototype sketches (low-fi) |
| Fri | Integration spike(s) | FCI scoring & budget workshop |
| Mon+ | Backlog grooming | Risk & dependency board |
| Tue+ | Architecture summary | Draft SoW / model recommendation |
| Wed+ | Review & sign-off | — |
Total elapsed: 8 business days (10 calendar).
Key Activities & Deliverables
| Activity | Artefact Produced | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Three-Layer BPMN mapping | L1–L3 diagrams | Exec & devs share one picture |
| BDD workshop | Gherkin scenarios | Requirements become tests |
| Technical spikes | API proof, load test, POC repo | Expose hidden effort early |
| FCI assessment | Score sheet + radar | Drives billing-model fit |
| Budget modelling | Range estimate ± 20 % | CFO-ready number |
| Risk session | Heat-map & mitigations | No surprises in Sprint 1 |
All artefacts are yours to keep, even if you don't proceed.
Roles & Team
| Role | % Alloc | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Product / Delivery Lead | 50 % | Facilitate workshops, own backlog |
| Solution Architect | 40 % | BPMN, data & integration spikes |
| UX / Front-End Dev | 30 % | Prototype, usability notes |
| QA / BDD Coach | 20 % | Turn scenarios into living tests |
| Client SMEs | Var. | Domain insight, sign-off authority |
(Blended team included in fixed fee.)
Pricing & Commercials
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fee | Fixed, payable 50 % up-front, 50 % on sign-off |
| Scope Creep | Out-of-scope requests parked for next phase |
| Cancellation | Cancel anytime before Day 3 for 60 % refund |
| IP | All work product transferred on final payment |
Exit Criteria & Next Step Options
| If FCI… | Next Step |
|---|---|
| < 5 | Park or iterate Mini-DaaS to explore further |
| 5 – 7 | Sprint Pod (T&M cap) |
| ≥ 8 | Fixed-Scope Pack or Full DaaS |
Switching models incurs zero penalties; we simply re-forecast using Sprint outputs.
Mini Case
Retail-Co Cloud POS — Discovery Sprint uncovered nine duplicate manual checks and a hidden ERP licence risk. FCI jumped from 3.1 to 7.4; a follow-up Fixed Pack launched MVP in 11 weeks, 18 % under the top budget range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to de-risk your idea in two weeks?
Book a Discovery Sprint consult and we’ll issue a scope & fixed-fee quote within 48 h.
Schedule My Sprint