Discovery session template

What is a discovery session template?

A discovery session template is designed to help teams efficiently gather and organize information during the initial stages of a project. It’s a structured format to help guide your conversations and synthesize learnings so you can start your project from a place of understanding and agreement.

The discovery session template helps set your team up to ask the right questions, capture valuable insights, and build a strong foundation for client relationships and project success. 

The discovery session template helps you:

• Understand client needs: By breaking down the conversation into clear sections, the discovery session template guides you through the process of understanding your client's needs, pain points, and goals. This ensures that you don’t miss any critical information and that the conversation remains focused and productive.

• Identify growth opportunities: The template includes prompts and sections to help you identify potential areas for growth and improvement. Whether it’s new features, services, or strategic partnerships, the discovery session template helps you uncover opportunities that can drive long-term success.

• Build client relationships: Effective client meetings build trust and rapport. The discovery session template provides a structured framework that helps you engage clients in meaningful conversations, making them feel heard and valued. This is essential for building strong relationships that last.

• Set clear expectations: The template helps you set clear expectations for the project or engagement. By documenting the client’s requirements, timelines, and deliverables, you can get both parties aligned and on the same page from the start.

• Collaborate effectively: Mural’s collaborative features, such as sticky notes, real-time comments, and shared editing, make it easy to involve multiple team members and perspectives in the discovery session to increase productivity and efficiency.

How to use the discovery session template

Step 1: Describe your company and define your goals

Start with an overview of the company you’re investigating in the discovery session. Who are they? What do they do? What is their mission and what are their values? Next, set up a few goals for the discovery session. What do you hope to achieve and learn?

Step 2: Build the stakeholder map

Use the stakeholder map section to identify and categorize key decision-makers, influencers, and other relevant contacts. Pro-tip: add a LinkedIn profile link and Mural’s profile cards feature will automatically insert the stakeholder’s picture, name, and title, as well as a link to their LinkedIn profile. 

Step 3: Fill out the discovery radar

This activity is the meat of the discovery session and the place where you’ll define your criteria for what will make the project successful. Have each person in the discovery session list what they see as the priorities, challenges, impact, and metrics for the project, using a different-colored sticky note for each section of the radar. Then, discuss as a group how to prioritize each note, and place them in the appropriate position on the radar.

Step 4: Determine decision criteria and process

Any project will involve a lot of different decisions; during this activity, you can have an upfront discussion about how decisions will be made to help overcome hurdles in the future. In the “Decision criteria” section, document the different criteria you’ll have to make decisions about. For example, one factor to consider might be “cost,” which is important because it will impact the budget.

In the “process” section, you should outline the different steps your team will take when making important decisions. For instance, you might start by “describing the decision that needs to be made,” then “gathering pertinent information,” and then “discussing different options.” 

While it may seem like a lot to figure out this early in the process, making sure everyone is aligned on what decisions are important and how to make them will help the entire process run more smoothly.   

Step 5: Develop an action plan

Finally, identify the key tasks you’ll need to accomplish, who will be responsible for them, and due dates. The action plan may change as you get deeper into the project, but that’s ok — this mural can and should be a living document that you update as you go along.

When to use the discovery session template (with examples)

Example 1: When starting a new project

Use the discovery session template when kicking off a new project to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the client’s needs and expectations. This will help you set a solid foundation for the project and avoid any miscommunication or scope creep.

Example 2: During client onboarding

When onboarding a new client, the discovery session template can be used to gather essential information about their business, goals, and pain points. This can help you align with your client from the start to make sure you’re agreed on an approach that meets their specific needs.

Example 3: For product validation

If you’re developing a new product, use the discovery session template to validate your ideas with potential customers. This will help you understand their needs, preferences, and pain points, allowing you to refine your product and increase its chances of success.

Example 4: When identifying potential partners

When exploring potential partnerships, the discovery session template can help you gather information about the other party’s goals, capabilities, and needs. This ensures that you’re a good fit and can work together effectively.

Example 5: During strategic planning

Use the template during strategic planning sessions to identify key areas of focus, potential risks, and growth opportunities. This helps you align your team and stakeholders on the most important initiatives and ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals.

Tips for running a discovery session

• Start with broad questions: Begin the session with broad, open-ended questions to set the tone and encourage free-flowing conversation. This helps participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.

• Use Mural’s collaborative features: Leverage Mural’s real-time collaboration features to keep everyone engaged and ensure that all ideas are captured. Use sticky notes, comments, and shared editing to make the session interactive and inclusive.

• Stay flexible and adapt: While the template provides a structured framework, be flexible and adapt to the flow of the conversation. If a valuable tangent emerges, explore it. The goal is to gather as much relevant information as possible.

• Build rapport early: Start the session with ice-breaker questions or casual conversation to build rapport and make participants feel at ease. This helps them open up and share more candidly about their experiences and needs.

• Summarize and confirm: After each major section of the session, summarize the key points and confirm them with the participants, making sure that everyone is on the same page and that no important insights are lost.

• Follow up promptly: Send a summary of the session to the participants within 24 hours. This helps reinforce the key takeaways and sets the stage for the next steps. It also shows that you value their input and are committed to moving forward.