Vision & Scope Workshops are the first step toward a successful software project. Think of these workshops as brainstorming meetings during which all project stakeholders get together and discuss the overall vision for a project in order to determine the important aspects, boundary conditions, potential timeframe, priorities, wants versus needs, and just about anything else one can think of. This vision is then prioritized and split into multiple phases. Key challenges are identified. Existing staff and resource capabilities are analyzed. Risks are analyzed. First steps are discussed. In short, everything that goes with a project is fair game!
We assist in Vision & Scope Workshops by adding our experience and expertise by bringing up key issues, helping to judge feasibility of certain aspects, and by suggesting technologies and techniques as well as appropriate approaches. We also use our experience earned from other projects to help judge effort levels and required skills.
No project will ever include everything one can dream up in a Vision & Scope Workshop, but the result will help to develop solid plan and realistic expectations in moving forward with a project, regardless of whether those next steps include CODE/ EPS Software, or whether a project is done in-house or with a different vendor.
The Deliverable
The main deliverable of a Vision & Scope Workshop is the Vision & Scope Document. This document recaps all the items discussed during the inital meeting, with additional questions explored and facts added in. The document addresses all key areas, next steps, risks, and so forth (the exact content varies slightly based on customer need).
Many Vision & Scope Workshops also feature other deliverables, such as code examples that can serve as proof-of-concept materials. Sometimes we also provide other documents or media related to the issues discussed during the meeting. Often times, such secondary deliverables are discovered during the Vision & Scope Workshop.
The main goal of a Vision & Scope Workshop is to come up with a shared vision and a solid plan for the overall project. It is then up to the customer to decide which parts of the project to explore or engage and in what order and time frame. (As mentioned above, no Vision & Scope Document is ever implemented in one swoop). The Vision & Scope Document acts as a starting place and guide for the project, regardless of whether the project is undertaken by CODE (or with CODE's help), completed in-house, or by a different vendor.
Engaging in a Vision & Scope Workshop
Vision & Scope Workshops are easy to set up. They usually consist of an on-site meeting to which we send one or two high-level experts. (If need be, the Vision & Scope workshop may also be conducted online, but face-to-face meetings are recommended for optimal communication). Before we engage in the meeting, we usually have a discussion over email or over the phone about the general nature of the project, so that we can ensure we send the right people. Whatever materials can be provided ahead of time helps us to show up as prepared as possible.
The actual meeting usually starts out with an overview from the customer. If an older version of an application or a prototype of any kind exists, a quick demo is usually helpful. We then proceed to explore the major areas of the system. We also like to meet with the major stakeholders and even users of the system if possible, although we try to keep this to a reasonable amount of time. It is important for us to learn about the key driving factors and key risks that are already known. We also want to explore technological and architectural questions and challenges.
After the workshop (which usually takes a day or an afternoon depending on the size of the system), we leave with a list of topics to explore further. Often we have learned about questions we can address by providing examples or videos or documents. We then work on these items off-site and produce the Vision & Scope Document. Once we produce the first draft of the Vision & Scope Document, we present it to the customer, either online or on-site in another short meeting. During this meeting, we do not just present the document and its recommendations and findings, but we also often explore further questions. It is not uncommon to have multiple draft versions of a Vision & Scope Document before all questions and concerns are addressed.
Purchase Options
We charge a fixed price for Vision & Scope Workshops. The actual price is determined based on estimated duration and always discussed and agreed upon with the cusomer ahead of time. Vision & Scope Workshop are always fixed price, which eliminates surprises. In addition to the fixed price, we also charge for expenses (flight, hotel, and transportation). This is also discussed and agreed upon with the customer ahead of time.