Is the project discovery phase a waste of time?

Numerous business owners and decision makers have different opinions regarding whether going through project discovery is a worthwhile undertaking. Many prefer to skip the step to cut costs or jump to development faster. But is that a good idea?

To say the least, discovery involves a deal of research and requires resource investment in testing and validating the future project. In essence, the phase takes place before product development and includes stages such as proof of concept, idea validation, data collection, and lots of research, brainstorming, and analysis. If implemented with due thought, it can take several months.

Yet the major goals of the discovery phase are to:

• prove that the project is worth carrying out in the first place;
• and shortlist the optimal feature set and the best ways to bring the project to life (also called scoping).

While opinions on the necessity of this phase may vary, project discovery brings many gains. It’ll allow you to avoid many mistakes and do-overs, mitigate risks, and get an improved overall strategy. Here’s a good read with useful recommendations and more info on why the discovery phase shouldn't be skipped: https://www.upsilonit.com/blog/the-project-discovery-phase-all-details-explained.