Running discovery workshops
You will be able to: Prepare a discovery with the right documents and attendees; Run a workshop that captures real work, not opinions; Produce workshop notes that feed requirements and the blueprint.
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Discovery is where you learn how the business really runs. Its output is not a feature list. It is an accurate picture of today's work, the pain points, and what the owner wants to be different. Weak discovery is the most common cause of a failed implementation, because every later phase builds on it.
Before the first session
Ask the client to send documents a week ahead, so workshop time is spent discussing rather than collecting.
- Three or four real examples of each document: quotation, order, delivery note, invoice, receipt, purchase order, supplier bill.
- Current price lists, customer and supplier lists, item list with units, and the stock list.
- The last trial balance and the chart of accounts, plus the latest VAT return.
- The reports management actually reads each week or month.
- An organisation chart and the list of people who will use the system.
A workshop plan for a distributor
| Session | Who attends | Topics | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sales and pricing (half day) | Sales manager, two reps, sales admin, accountant | Quotes, orders, discounts, credit, delivery, returns | As-is sales process, pain points, requirement list |
| 2 Purchasing and stock (half day) | Purchasing manager, storekeeper, accountant | Ordering, receiving, units, warehouses, stock counts | As-is purchase and stock process |
| 3 Finance and VAT (half day) | Accountant, finance manager | Chart of accounts, VAT, cheques, bank, month-end | Accounting needs, opening balance approach |
| 4 Management and IT (2 hours) | Owner, IT contact | Reports, approvals, users, devices, backups | Report list, roles, infrastructure notes |
How to run each session
- State the goal and time box at the start, and agree who decides if people disagree.
- Ask people to show you, not tell you: 'Walk me through last Tuesday's biggest order, from the call to the cash.'
- Capture on a template: step, who, document used, system used, problem, workaround.
- Probe exceptions: short stock, wrong price, returns, cancelled orders, bounced cheques.
- Summarise before you leave and send the notes within one working day for correction.
Practise in the demo
- Write the discovery document request list for a business you know.
- Open Sales in the demo and look at the document types, to prepare questions for a sales workshop.
- Open https://demo.zeyto.app/demo-app/ and sign in with the demo login. This is a public demo with sample data, so nothing you do there affects a real business.
Public demo company, sign in as admin / demoAdmin123. Data refreshes nightly.
- Ask for real documents before the workshop and invite the people who do the work.
- Ask people to show last week's real example, then probe exceptions.
- Do not design or promise in the room. Send notes within one working day.
Check yourself
2 questions on this lesson. Not timed, not the exam, and you can try again. Score 60% or more, and read the lesson, to complete it.