Discovery vs Delivery | Build the Right Thing
Balance product discovery with delivery execution. GitScrum helps teams validate what to build while building it right using dual-track agile.
9 min read
Build the right thing. GitScrum helps teams balance discovery work (learning what to build) with delivery work (building what's been validated).
Understanding Discovery and Delivery
The Dual Track
DUAL-TRACK AGILE:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ DISCOVERY TRACK: DELIVERY TRACK: │
│ ───────────────── ─────────────── │
│ │
│ PURPOSE: PURPOSE: │
│ Learn what to build Build what's validated │
│ │
│ ACTIVITIES: ACTIVITIES: │
│ • User research • Sprint planning │
│ • Problem interviews • Coding │
│ • Prototyping • Testing │
│ • Experiments • Deployment │
│ • A/B tests • Bug fixes │
│ │
│ OUTPUT: OUTPUT: │
│ Validated ideas Working software │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ THE FLOW: │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ DISCOVERY │ │ DELIVERY │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Ideas │ │ Validated │ │
│ │ Hypotheses │────→│ Stories │────→ Shipped │
│ │ Experiments │ │ Features │ Product │
│ │ Prototypes │ │ Code │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
│ ▲ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ │
│ Feedback loop │
│ │
│ NOT SEQUENTIAL: Both happen in parallel │
│ NOT EQUAL: Usually more delivery than discovery │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Discovery Activities
Research and Validation
DISCOVERY METHODS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ USER RESEARCH: │
│ ────────────── │
│ • Customer interviews │
│ • Usability testing │
│ • Field observation │
│ • Survey analysis │
│ │
│ PROTOTYPING: │
│ ──────────── │
│ • Paper sketches │
│ • Wireframes │
│ • Clickable prototypes │
│ • Fake door tests │
│ │
│ EXPERIMENTATION: │
│ ─────────────── │
│ • A/B tests │
│ • Concierge MVP │
│ • Wizard of Oz tests │
│ • Feature flags │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ DISCOVERY BOARD: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ IDEAS │ VALIDATING │ VALIDATED │ READY FOR DEV ││
│ │ │ │ │ ││
│ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ ││
│ │ │A │ │ │D │ │ │G │ │ │I │ ││
│ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ ││
│ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ ││
│ │ │B │ │ │E │ │ │H │ │ │J │ ││
│ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ ││
│ │ ┌──┐ │ ┌──┐ │ │ ││
│ │ │C │ │ │F │ │ │ ││
│ │ └──┘ │ └──┘ │ │ ││
│ │ │ │ │ ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ONLY VALIDATED IDEAS move to delivery │
│ Many ideas get killed in discovery (that's the point) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Balancing Time
Allocation Strategies
DISCOVERY/DELIVERY BALANCE:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ BY PRODUCT STAGE: │
│ ───────────────── │
│ │
│ NEW PRODUCT (Pre-market fit): │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ Discovery 50% ████████████████████████████ ││
│ │ Delivery 50% ████████████████████████████ ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Focus: Finding product-market fit ││
│ │ Risk: Building the wrong thing ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ GROWING PRODUCT: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ Discovery 30% ██████████████████ ││
│ │ Delivery 70% ██████████████████████████████████████████││
│ │ ││
│ │ Focus: Scaling what works, exploring adjacent areas ││
│ │ Risk: Missing new opportunities ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ MATURE PRODUCT: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ Discovery 15% █████████ ││
│ │ Delivery 85% █████████████████████████████████████████████││
│ │ ││
│ │ Focus: Optimization, maintenance, incremental ││
│ │ Risk: Stagnation ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ BY TEAM SIZE: │
│ ───────────── │
│ │
│ SMALL TEAM (5): │
│ Same people do both discovery and delivery │
│ Split time within sprints │
│ │
│ LARGER TEAM (10+): │
│ Product trio focuses on discovery │
│ Rest of team focuses on delivery │
│ Regular handoffs │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The Product Trio
Discovery Team
PRODUCT TRIO:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ THE TRIO: │
│ ───────── │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ PRODUCT │ │ DESIGN │ │ TECH │ │
│ │ MANAGER │ │ │ │ LEAD │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Viability │ │ Usability │ │ Feasibility │ │
│ │ "Should we │ │ "Can users │ │ "Can we │ │
│ │ build it?" │ │ use it?" │ │ build it?" │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └──────────────┼──────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ VALIDATED SOLUTIONS │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ TRIO ACTIVITIES: │
│ ──────────────── │
│ │
│ TOGETHER: │
│ • Customer interviews │
│ • Problem definition │
│ • Solution exploration │
│ • Prototype review │
│ • Experiment planning │
│ │
│ INDIVIDUAL: │
│ PM: Stakeholder alignment, metrics, prioritization │
│ Design: Prototypes, usability testing, flows │
│ Tech: Feasibility spikes, technical constraints │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ WEEKLY CADENCE: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ MON: Discovery sync (30 min) ││
│ │ - Review last week's learnings ││
│ │ - Plan this week's activities ││
│ │ ││
│ │ TUE-THU: Research activities ││
│ │ - Interviews, tests, experiments ││
│ │ ││
│ │ FRI: Synthesis + handoff ││
│ │ - What we learned ││
│ │ - What's ready for delivery ││
│ │ - What needs more research ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Managing the Handoff
From Discovery to Delivery
HANDOFF PROCESS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ DISCOVERY OUTPUT: │
│ ───────────────── │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ VALIDATED SOLUTION: One-click checkout ││
│ │ ││
│ │ PROBLEM: ││
│ │ Users abandon checkout due to too many steps ││
│ │ ││
│ │ EVIDENCE: ││
│ │ • 12 user interviews cited complexity ││
│ │ • Analytics: 45% drop at payment step ││
│ │ • Competitor analysis: One-click is industry standard ││
│ │ ││
│ │ SOLUTION: ││
│ │ Save payment method for one-click re-purchase ││
│ │ ││
│ │ PROTOTYPE TESTED: ││
│ │ • 8/10 testers completed checkout successfully ││
│ │ • Average time: 45 seconds (vs 3 min current) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: ││
│ │ • Requires PCI compliance for stored cards ││
│ │ • Integration with payment provider ││
│ │ • Estimated: 2-3 sprints ││
│ │ ││
│ │ SUCCESS METRICS: ││
│ │ • Checkout completion +15% ││
│ │ • Checkout time <60 seconds ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ATTACHMENTS: ││
│ │ [Prototype] [Interview notes] [Analytics report] ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ DELIVERY RECEIVES: │
│ ────────────────── │
│ • Clear problem statement │
│ • Validated solution with evidence │
│ • Prototype/designs to implement │
│ • Success metrics to measure │
│ • Technical considerations already explored │
│ │
│ BENEFIT: Less rework, higher confidence │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Making It Work
Common Patterns
PRACTICAL TIPS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ PROTECT DISCOVERY TIME: │
│ ─────────────────────── │
│ • Block calendar for research │
│ • Discovery work is not "extra" │
│ • Count it in capacity planning │
│ │
│ DON'T OVER-VALIDATE: │
│ ──────────────────── │
│ • Some things are obvious │
│ • Small changes need less validation │
│ • Validate risky/uncertain things │
│ │
│ KEEP DISCOVERY LEAN: │
│ ──────────────────── │
│ • Minimum viable research │
│ • Quick experiments over lengthy studies │
│ • Ship to learn when appropriate │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ WHAT NEEDS DISCOVERY: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ ││
│ │ HIGH UNCERTAINTY + HIGH EFFORT: ││
│ │ DEFINITELY DO DISCOVERY ││
│ │ • New product areas ││
│ │ • Changing core workflows ││
│ │ • Major investments ││
│ │ ││
│ │ HIGH UNCERTAINTY + LOW EFFORT: ││
│ │ QUICK VALIDATION OR JUST SHIP ││
│ │ • Small experiments ││
│ │ • A/B tests ││
│ │ • Easy to revert ││
│ │ ││
│ │ LOW UNCERTAINTY + HIGH EFFORT: ││
│ │ SOME VALIDATION ││
│ │ • Known need, unclear solution ││
│ │ • Validate approach ││
│ │ ││
│ │ LOW UNCERTAINTY + LOW EFFORT: ││
│ │ JUST BUILD IT ││
│ │ • Bug fixes ││
│ │ • Obvious improvements ││
│ │ • Technical debt ││
│ │ ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ DON'T VALIDATE EVERYTHING │
│ DO VALIDATE WHAT'S RISKY │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘