Managing Project Discovery Remotely for Successful Outcomes: A Case Study

CROSS (Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety) is a reporting website where users can submit reports anonymously on safety concerns of buildings. Owing to COVID-19, it was necessary to conduct the discovery phase remotely; a process where emphasis is usually placed on the benefits of face-to-face meetings. On this project, we took the three principles of discovery: Framing the problem; Refining possible solutions; Aligning ourselves as a team; and adapted them to the overall advantage of the project.
Framing the problem involved delivering user stories iteratively; allowing for developers to approach each new Epic with a fresh mind, without suffering from information overload.
Refining possible solutions involved collaborating with product owner to ensure user stories were of highest standard. This meant that the problem was defined succinctly and was always user-centred. Without face-to-face meetings, newer ways to collaborate were utilised, for example, we used different mediums of documentation to explain complex features and requirements.
Aligning as a team meant that this project saw discovery not as a ‘sprint zero’ but as a significant chunk of the delivery process. Within this project it was evident that more time spent upfront meant the time spent on development was more focused. Much like scrum, this discovery phase involved weekly retrospectives - allowing the chance for the Discovery phase to remain Agile and to continually inspect and adapt the process.