Discovery session
A conversation that produces a written problem statement.
Whether or not it leads to an engagement. If the problem is not one a communications and AI consultancy should be paid to solve, we will say so, and you will still leave with the problem stated in writing.
Opens in a new tab. Prefer to speak first? Call +27 71 871 1311 or email hello@gotocommunications.co.za.
- Duration
- 45 to 60 minutes
- Cost
- No charge
- Output
- A written problem statement
- Obligation
- None
01
What happens in the session
01The seven questions
We work through these. You answer what you can.
They are asked at the start of every engagement and answered in writing before a solution is proposed. In a discovery session we usually get through the first three or four honestly, which is more than most briefs ever establish.
- 01What problem are we solving?
- 02Why does it exist?
- 03What evidence supports our diagnosis?
- 04What options exist?
- 05Which option delivers the greatest long-term value?
- 06How will success be measured?
- 07How will the client sustain the improvement?
02
How to prepare
02Preparation
Bring these, and the session will be worth more.
The request as you would have written it to a supplier.
What triggered it, and when.
Who decides, and what they will need to see to approve.
What you currently measure, and where the figures come from.
What has already been tried, and why it stopped.
The budget range and the deadline, if either is real.
If you have none of these
Come anyway. Not having them is itself a finding, and it usually sits at level one or two of the diagnostic hierarchy.
03
What happens next
03After the session
Discovery is a stage, and it has a gate.
If the conversation continues into an engagement, it enters the operating system at stage one and does not skip forward.
| Stage | What happens | Required output | Gate to pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | Executive and stakeholder interviews, brand, communications and website audits, AI readiness, competitor analysis, GoTo360™ where scoped. | Discovery Report and Current State Assessment | Client confirms the problem statement in writing |
| Define | Strategy workshop, positioning, audience and journey mapping, roadmap and success measures. | Strategic Roadmap with named success measures at 90 days, one year and three years | Client signs off the roadmap and the measures |
| Design | Identity, site architecture, user experience, content strategy, campaign design, solution specification. | Approved Solution Design with a version number and a named approver | Client approves the design and any change to cost or timeline is agreed |
| Deliver | Build, roll out, integrate, test, train and launch. | Implemented solution plus training and documentation | Acceptance testing passed and handover pack issued |
| Develop | Monthly reviews, reporting, optimisation, quarterly planning, ongoing advisory. | Performance reports and improvement actions | Formal closure or renewal decision taken |
The rule that protects the model
No implementation begins before discovery is complete and success measures are agreed. If you require work to start at delivery, that is a commercial decision taken by the Managing Director, recorded on the project file, with the risk stated to you in writing.
04
Book
04Ready
Choose a time.
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