Projects that skip structured Discovery are 3-5x more likely to blow past budget or deadline. Unchallenged assumptions surface as scope changes mid-build, when fixing them costs ten times more. A paid Discovery sprint is a one-week, structured engagement before a single line of production code is written. It defines what gets built, how, and what it should cost. In five days, it removes about 80% of the risk that causes software projects to fail.
Why Discovery exists
Most projects fail because of bad assumptions - the client assumed the feature was simple, the team assumed the data was clean, nobody assumed compliance would take three extra weeks.
Free “discovery” calls are sales calls - proposals designed to close deals, not stress-test ideas. A paid Discovery sprint protects you. Output belongs to you whether you proceed with us or another studio.
What happens each day
Day 1: Context. Stakeholder interviews, workflow mapping, constraint identification, user profiling.
Day 2: Problem definition. One-sentence core problem, hypothesis, measurable success criteria (not “fast” but “page load under 2 seconds for 95% of users”), explicit scope boundaries.
Day 3: Solution design. Wireframes of key flows, technical architecture, stack decisions, build-vs-buy analysis. For AI work, we draw on findings from an AI readiness audit; for process automation, we identify which workflows to automate.
Day 4: Scope and estimate. Feature list with effort estimates, MoSCoW prioritisation (Must / Should / Could / Won’t), timeline with milestones, realistic budget range, risk register.
Day 5: Delivery. Written brief, wireframes, architecture diagram, detailed estimate, and a go / no-go recommendation. We walk through everything together.
What it costs
| Project complexity | Discovery cost | Typical build cost |
|---|---|---|
| Simple (landing page, basic app) | €2,000 - €2,500 | €5,000 - €15,000 |
| Moderate (multi-feature platform) | €2,500 - €4,000 | €15,000 - €50,000 |
| Complex (integrations, AI, multi-user) | €4,000 - €5,000 | €50,000 - €150,000+ |
Under €5,000 total build, a structured kickoff covers the same ground.
Why we charge for it
Free discovery is a sales conversation. Free-discovery agencies are incentivised to tell you what you want to hear. Paid Discovery means we tell you what you need to hear - including when the project is a bad idea. It also means senior people for a full week, which is not sustainable as a free offering. Deliverables are yours regardless.
The ROI: a €3,000 Discovery typically saves €10,000-€30,000 in avoided scope changes, 4-8 weeks of pivot delays, or the entire budget when Discovery reveals the project is not viable. Post-Discovery estimate accuracy is typically within 10-15% of final cost; without Discovery, variance jumps to 50-200%. See our custom software cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if Discovery reveals the project is a bad idea? Then it just saved you the full development budget. A no-go recommendation is the most valuable outcome when the alternative is building something that will not work.
Can we use the Discovery deliverables with another agency? Yes. The brief, wireframes, architecture, and estimate are yours. No lock-in, no proprietary format.
How is this different from a proposal? A proposal is a free sales document. Discovery is a paid service designed to protect your investment. Depth and accuracy are not comparable.
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Ready to de-risk your next project?
A one-week Discovery sprint gives you clarity and a reliable estimate before committing your full budget. The brief is yours regardless.
Reach out at [email protected] or via the form on our homepage.