Discovery Calls – Diagnose Before You Prescribe

Great discovery creates clarity: problem, impact, constraints, and decision process.

Learning goal

• Run a 25-minute discovery structure with a clear agenda.
• Capture problem impact with numbers (time, money, risk).
• End with a committed next step.

Why it matters

• Weak discovery produces weak proposals and “ghosting”.
• Impact converts interest into urgency.
• Decision-process clarity prevents late-stage surprises.

Explanation

Discovery agenda (25 minutes)

• Set the frame (3 min): goal + agenda + timing.
• Current state (7 min): process, tools, stakeholders.
• Problems + impact (10 min): where it breaks and what it costs.
• Decision process (3 min): who decides, criteria, timeline.
• Next step (2 min): schedule, owner, deliverable.

Examples

• Impact question: ‘If this stays the same for 90 days, what breaks? What’s the cost?’
• Decision process question: ‘Who needs to say yes, and what do they need to see?’

Guided exercise

Discovery script v1

• Write 5 current-state questions.
• Write 5 impact questions (push for numbers).
• Write 3 decision-process questions.

Independent exercise

Call note template

Create a template with fields: problem, impact, constraints, stakeholders, criteria, timeline, next step.

Self-check

• I can run a clear discovery agenda.
• I can quantify impact.
• I always end with a