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Project Discovery and Delivery Workbook
Use this workbook to move from a free introductory conversation to a scoped engagement, coordinated implementation, and documented handoff. It is a planning tool, not an agreement or authorization to incur fees.
Client and project: [details] Version and date: [details]
Sponsor: [name] Consultant lead: [name] SOW reference: [ID]
1 Discovery and desired outcomes
What problem should improve, and who experiences it? [response]
What does the current process cost in time, errors, delays, or missed visibility? [baseline]
What outcome would make this project successful? [measurable target]
Which departments and systems are affected? [response]
What has already been tried, and what constraints apply? [response]
Who decides scope and accepts the result? [response]
Is remote discovery sufficient, or would an optional onsite visit help? [purpose and proposed dates]
2 Engagement selection
| Service area | Possible planning outputs |
|---|---|
| Strategy and organizational development | Assessment, written plan, priorities, responsibilities |
| Back-office process improvement | Process maps, bottleneck analysis, procedures |
| Business intelligence and reporting | Metric dictionary, source mapping, dashboard specification |
| Automation and integration | Workflow design, interface requirements, runbook |
| Business systems optimization | Systems assessment, configuration and implementation plan |
3 Scope readiness
Before drafting the SOW, confirm sponsor, business objective, included and excluded work, baseline evidence, expected deliverables, dependencies, acceptance method, proposed schedule, fee basis, and any onsite arrangements. Record unresolved questions with an owner and due date.
4 Work plan and ownership
| Task and output | Owner | Due date | Dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| [discovery task] | [name] | [date] | [input] |
| [design task] | [name] | [date] | [approval] |
| [implementation task] | [name] | [date] | [access] |
| [validation task] | [name] | [date] | [test data] |
| [handoff task] | [name] | [date] | [acceptance] |
5 Risks assumptions issues and decisions
| Type and item | Impact and response | Owner and due date |
|---|---|---|
| Risk [description] | [mitigation and escalation] | [name/date] |
| Assumption [description] | [validation action] | [name/date] |
| Issue [description] | [resolution action] | [name/date] |
| Decision [description] | [approver and rationale] | [name/date] |
6 Process and stakeholder assessment
Current-state process steps and handoffs: [map location]
Roles, training needs, and alignment gaps: [findings]
Data and system inputs and outputs: [sources]
Proposed changes and expected benefit: [recommendations]
Adoption and communication plan: [audiences, owners, schedule]
7 Status update format
Reporting period: [dates]. Completed: [outputs]. Next: [tasks]. Milestone status: [on track / at risk / delayed]. Decisions needed: [approver and due date]. Risks or blockers: [impact and action]. Approved scope or budget changes: [change IDs].
8 KPI dashboard planning example
Optional example based on the discussed internal dashboard: Sales, Purchasing, Production, Warehouse, and HR; SQL Server hosts Dynamics GP and SQL backends for Access applications; employees use Active Directory; browser refresh target is 15 to 30 seconds. Confirm these requirements for each actual project.
| Department | Candidate measurements to validate |
|---|---|
| Sales | Sales against target, bookings, backlog, margin |
| Purchasing | Overdue purchase orders, supplier delivery, price variance |
| Production | Schedule attainment, throughput, scrap, downtime |
| Warehouse | Inventory accuracy, picking accuracy, on-time shipping |
| HR | Headcount, attendance, turnover, overtime, training |
9 Measurement definition
KPI name, owner, and business purpose: [details]
Formula, units, reporting period, and target: [details]
Baseline and comparison period: [details]
Source database, tables or views, joins, and filters: [details]
Treatment of cancellations, partial orders, missing data, and time zones: [rules]
Refresh frequency versus actual source-data freshness: [details]
Validation evidence and department signoff: [details]
10 Technical safeguards
Use a scoped read-only service identity for reporting, enforce AD group permissions in the backend, and separate HR access. Plan shared caching so simultaneous viewers do not multiply queries. Measure production query load before rollout. Display last successful refresh and stale-data indicators. Record hosting, monitoring, recovery, and maintenance owners. Production writes or schema changes require separate approval and rollback.
11 Validation and acceptance plan
| Test or review | Expected evidence | Owner and result |
|---|---|---|
| Data accuracy | [reconcile against approved source] | [reviewer/status] |
| Permissions | [authorized and unauthorized access checks] | [reviewer/status] |
| Performance | [query duration and production impact] | [reviewer/status] |
| Failure behavior | [stale indicator and recovery evidence] | [reviewer/status] |
| User adoption | [training and workflow feedback] | [reviewer/status] |
12 Implementation and rollback
Release scope and approved window: [details]
Client production approver: [name]
Backup confirmation and restore owner: [details]
Deployment steps and responsible person: [runbook]
Stop or rollback criteria: [thresholds]
Rollback steps and validation: [runbook]
Post-release monitoring period: [details]
13 Handoff and closeout
Deliverables and editable source location: [location]
Process procedures and technical runbooks: [location]
Access and ownership transfer: [details]
Training completed and attendees: [details]
Known limitations and open items: [owner/date]
Client acceptance record: [date and approver]
Support period and escalation contacts: [details]
Data return or deletion actions: [details]
Follow-up measurement date and accountable owner: [details]