We start by determining what the actual goal is and what the constraints are for time and budget. For example, if we start a project from scratch and the scope isn’t very clear, we enter the Discovery phase. As a result of this process, we get a clear idea of the project by looking at:

‍

User Stories managed in the User Story Map – This helps to plan out MVP and future releases;

‍

Non-Functional Requirements (supported devices, target audience, the expected level of load, etc.) –  These criteria are necessary for resource evaluating and planning;

‍

Clickable prototype – A representation of the final product is necessary to assess the project’s scopes more accurately and helps to track user interactions with the application in great detail;

‍

Design of the application architecture – At this point, we define the technologies and integrations, and draft the app architecture.

‍

Estimates – In other words, it’s an evaluation of the work process. When the scope of work is defined and evaluated, we refer back to the restrictions and determine the deadline and budget:

• If the deadline is the main limiting factor, we discuss either scope limitation or an increase in resources.
• If the project doesn’t fit in the budget, we discuss limiting the scope.
• If there is a resource constraint, we discuss an increase in the project duration. 

‍

Then, we plan the project roadmap and determine the necessary resources (project team). And finally, we determine the risks and how they can affect the project. Now we are ready to start.