Somewhere in a board room, during a leadership away day or an in-house workshop, you and your team have finally decided to make some essential changes to the business…
Why? Well, you’re struggling to scale the business, losing traction in the market, you haven’t launched any new products, or you need to pivot and respond to customer or market trends – whatever the need is, you recognise the need to evolve.
So, you pick a tech solution based on any number of factors and kick things off with a vendor, but then you hit a roadblock. Somewhere, somehow, business needs got missed, you’ve invested significantly and progress is slow to non-existent. The business is dissatisfied, the board unhappy and you’re no further ahead than you were before the project started.
Shocked? Well don’t be, you’re not alone. From scale-ups to some of the largest global organisations, we’ve seen failure across the board: we’ll spare you the platitudes and quotes as they don’t offer any comfort or, more importantly, offer you a route to success.
What went wrong? Never has the old parable about the man building his house on the sand been more relevant: the lack of preparation and groundwork has led to the inevitable realisation that something has gone drastically wrong, cost you time and money and still left you without a solution or the necessary changes in place that your business needs.
So, before you start any change programme, the need for a discovery phase is critical to success. This blog aims to walk you through some of the key themes we see in almost every change initiative.
Define the why
“The why” is the first thing to establish. Forget ‘solutions’ or jumping to use the most well-known software provider. As great as their reputations may be, to sweep in and spend time defining business needs, what you need to achieve, leadership team expectations and to deliver a solution on time and on budget is, in most cases, an insurmountable task.
Start with the basics: get to grips with “the why” and avoid jumping to a solution straight away. Set your expectations and build the case for change.
Get aligned
In a failing change initiative or programme, we always see a lack of alignment across leadership teams. It’s almost impossible to deliver success when those sponsoring and ultimately responsible for the change have differing opinions or conflicting agendas.
This creates confusion, leads to a breakdown in communication and fundamentally creates a fracture within the delivery team.
Successful organisational change must be collaborative, and the ultimate test for us is to speak to the leadership team individually and seeing if they align on objectives. If they don’t, that needs to be fixed.
If you’re a CEO, CIO or executive sponsor and suspect you have a failing change initiative, look to your leadership and challenge them.
A successful change program is anchored by a consistent message, shared objectives, and outcomes that resonate and with the leadership team. There needs to be full alignment.
Discovery becomes a strategic compass
Fundamentally, discovery is about understanding the business landscape before making critical decisions. It allows organisations to clarify their business strategy and goals by examining existing processes, market conditions, and technological capabilities. This phase helps identify opportunities, risks, and dependencies, ensuring that the programme is not only aligned with strategic objectives but also positioned to deliver meaningful value.
Without discovery, organisations risk embarking on initiatives without a clear understanding of what they’re aiming to achieve or how they’ll get there. Discovery provides the necessary insights to define a roadmap that connects strategy to execution, making it an indispensable phase in effective programme delivery.
Don’t see discovery as a catalyst for spend
Yes, it will require investment, but there shouldn’t be any doubt that in the long run, a well-planned discovery phase, led by experienced heads, will save your organisation time, money, frustration and fatigue.
Like any phase of a programme, define the outcomes. For discovery you need to focus on strategic objectives, a business case that stacks up, an investment case and importantly a set of KPIs or metrics to measure success that run alongside any delivery.
Don’t get bogged down in what you do now
Settling with the status quo is always tempting, especially for older organisations that run outdated processes on legacy technology systems. The thought processes that say ‘we can’t’ or ‘we have to do it this way’ will create drag in moving forward.
Consider looking at use cases that cover your needs as a business. If you spend time and effort mapping current business processes, you could run the risk that you embed the past onto your future model. Think how you want the business to look, irrespective of legacy structures. There is a place for mapping, especially in more complex business but don’t lose sight of the reason you’re looking to change.
So, whether you start afresh or work with existing technology, just make sure you’ve done the research and know all the associated implications when you decide to move forward. Don’t build legacy into your future without challenging the past.
Think about the people
Not all organisations are ready for change, and more often than not, it’s the people who are not able to adapt. It’s a harsh reality, but many or most organisations don’t have the capacity for change and often lack the capability to do it. This won’t however be a problem if you can bring in the capability to affect positive change.
Not all companies are hard-wired like Amazon or Apple: these companies are built to consistently evolve and as such, change is second nature. In the mindset of their people, they embrace and adapt to stay on top of their market and their competitors.
As we’ve seen with many organisations in the past, a lack of willingness to change, to adapt or to modernise their ways of thinking will often mean they need to look inwardly at their people and assess if change is right for them. There will be uncomfortable conversations, but they’re important as positive mindsets are the key to the success of your business.
Preparing for the organisations journey
Change, no matter how small, requires preparation. The discovery phase equips both business and change teams with the insights and context they need to navigate the complexities of transformation.
By engaging stakeholders early and often, discovery fosters a shared understanding of objectives and challenges, reducing resistance and enhancing collaboration.
This phase also uncovers gaps in readiness, whether related to skills, processes, or technologies. Addressing these gaps upfront ensures that teams are not only prepared for the road ahead but also empowered to drive change effectively. In essence, discovery is about building a solid foundation that minimises disruption and maximises impact.
Setting a Benchmark for Success
One of the most valuable outcomes of discovery is the establishment of a baseline against which future success can be measured. By documenting current-state processes, performance metrics, and stakeholder expectations, organisations create a reference point for evaluating progress and outcomes.
This benchmark is critical for measuring the value delivered by the programme. It provides a clear picture of what success looks like, enabling teams to track improvements, demonstrate ROI, and make data-driven decisions throughout the transformation journey. Without these foundations, it becomes difficult to assess whether the programme is delivering on its promises.
Delivering the Value
Ultimately, the goal of any programme is to deliver value – whether through improved efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, or increased revenue. Discovery ensures that this value is clearly defined and understood from the outset.
By aligning initiatives with strategic objectives and preparing teams for execution, discovery sets the stage for achieving meaningful outcomes.
Far from being a roadblock, discovery is a catalyst for success. It provides the clarity, alignment, and preparation needed to navigate the complexities of programme delivery, ensuring that organisations not only meet their goals but also exceed expectations. By embracing discovery as a strategic enabler, businesses can unlock their full potential and deliver the value they seek.
As with all our clients, we’re focused on working with them to deliver the best outcomes and ensure that change equates to success.
At Siena Consulting, we work with our clients to help evolve their businesses and achieve transformation success.
If you’d like to continue the conversation with our consulting services expert, Rob Saunders, contact him here: