Discovery-to-Solution
A run starts when a qualified opportunity has to be understood before anything can be offered. The processes here interview the people who feel the problem, record what they need in their own words, test what would have to be true for a purchase to make sense, bring in the specialists who can say whether it is buildable, and arrange the references and evaluations a buyer needs when description is not enough. A run ends at an agreed shape of what would fix the problem, and nothing in it is priced. The offer is the next stream, and a discovery that ends in no viable shape has closed an opportunity properly rather than failed.
vs/sls/discovery-to-solution v1The processes
The processes in this stream
Provide a Reference
Starts witha prospect asks to speak to a customer
Ends whenthe prospect has heard from a customer who stayed willing
Activities inside
- Take in the Reference Request
- Say What the Prospect Must Hear
- Search the Reference Pool
15 activities · 52 blanks to fill · 3 human gates
Record the Requirements
Starts witha confirmed discovery summary arrives
Ends whenone versioned record the shaping stage can read
Activities inside
- Take in the Discovery Notes
- Split the Needs from the Wants
- Write Each One in the Buyer's Words
14 activities · 36 blanks to fill · 2 human gates
Run a Discovery Call
Starts witha qualified opportunity has to be understood
Ends whenthe problem is written down in the buyer's words
Activities inside
- Take in the Opportunity
- Read the Account First
- Decide Who Should Be in the Room
14 activities · 36 blanks to fill · 4 human gates
Run a Proof of Value
Starts withthe buyer cannot decide from description alone
Ends whenthe proof is scored and closed, and the data is back
Activities inside
- Decide a Proof Is Warranted
- Agree the Success Criteria
- Agree the Start and the End
15 activities · 52 blanks to fill · 4 human gates
Shape the Solution
Starts witha versioned requirement record arrives
Ends whenan agreed shape, unpriced, that the offer stream can read
Activities inside
- Take in the Requirement Record
- Read What Was Shaped Before
- Draft the First Shape
15 activities · 44 blanks to fill · 4 human gates