Start with Discovery: How to Map Business Processes Before Choosing Software
A practical approach to defining what your business really needs — before engaging suppliers or investing in new systems
To know where you're going, you first need to know where you are.
It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many businesses skip this step entirely.
They jump straight into vendor conversations, software demos, or pricing discussions without first clarifying what they actually need to move forward.
And to be fair, it’s understandable. It takes time, effort, and internal focus... all of which are often in short supply in a growing business. It feels easier to trust the provider to do the analysis and tell you what fits.
This often results in systems that are overcomplicated, underused, or simply not fit for purpose.
In reality, the first step in any successful digital project, whether it's ERP, CRM, finance, or another core system, - is internal discovery. That means understanding how your business runs today, what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change.
Why Skipping Discovery Is a Risk
When you skip discovery, you hand over control of the project before you've even defined the problem.
Instead of setting the agenda, you start reacting to what vendors show you, and yes this can result in your solution being shaped more by their product roadmap than your business needs.
This lack of ownership is how businesses can end up with:
- Features they don’t use
- Gaps they didn’t see coming
- Systems that don’t fit how the business actually works
- Underused features
And once you're deep into implementation, changing direction becomes expensive — both in time and money.
The discovery phase helps avoid this. It puts you in control of the process, makes vendor conversations more focused, and leads to better results.
How to Run a Discovery Process (Even with Limited Time)
This doesn’t have to be a massive internal project.
Many SMEs run a short, structured discovery process over a few weeks. It can be led internally or supported by an external consultant... someone experienced who knows how to ask the right questions, capture the answers, and build a clear picture of what’s really happening.
It’s also about people... not just processes.
Good discovery work considers change management from the start. That means involving your stakeholders early, whether they’re department heads or the person packaging boxes in the warehouse.
Because for many employees, change feels risky, not exciting. Helping them feel heard is the first step in getting them on board. (PLUS, they same employees may have valuable insight on where the risks are and where efficiencies can be made).
When we work with clients at this stage, we typically:
- Run short interviews with department leads
- Document core workflows and known issues
- Capture existing tools, spreadsheets, and data handovers
- Identify process gaps and duplicated effort
- Facilitate a discussion on what “better” looks like
- Noting the 'Must haves' and the 'Nice to haves'
The outcome?
A clear view of the
current state, a shared understanding of the
desired state, and a grounded list of
needs and priorities, ready to shape the requirements that will guide your vendor conversations.
It
puts you in the driving seat.
You’re no longer relying on vendors to tell you what you need.
You’re equipped to challenge, compare, and choose based on what’s right for your business... not just what’s on offer.
This approach saves time, brings clarity, and avoids building a project around assumptions.
And yes... Enterprise Ireland and other grant supports can often help fund this phase too.
Turning Discovery into Requirements
Once you've mapped how things work today and what you want to be true in the future, the next step is turning that insight into a list of system requirements.
This doesn’t mean drawing up a 40-page technical spec. It means getting clear on the outcomes that matter, the core processes that need support, and the pain points you want to eliminate.
That includes things like:
- What the system must do (must-haves)
- What it should do (nice-to-haves)
- What other tools it needs to integrate with
- How you want data to flow
- What kind of reporting or visibility you need
- Future proofing - by knowing what comes next in as much as is possible.
When this is done right, you're not just creating a list — you're building a filter.
It helps you rule out poor-fit solutions quickly... and focus your time on the few that are worth exploring in depth.
We help our clients package this into a simple but powerful brief — one that gives vendors just enough to respond accurately, without opening the floodgates to complexity.
And while most businesses are still catching their breath after documenting the current state, we also help look forward. Because understanding where you are is only part of the job. The real value is knowing what’s likely to come next.
We bring the outside perspective. The awareness of what’s working in other businesses. The ability to spot where a small decision now could make or break scalability later.
That’s how you aim to build longevity into the project. Not just solving today’s problems, but making sure the foundations will still serve you when the business doubles again after your new system faciliates further growth.
Yes, This Phase Can Be Funded
Grants such as those from Enterprise Ireland — and in some cases InterTradeIreland or others — can support more than software licences.
They can help fund:
- The discovery work
- Requirements gathering
- Process mapping
- Vendor briefing
- Project management
In some cases, the funding can also cover external support... like working with a consultant to structure and run this process for you.
Many businesses miss out because they simply don’t have time to explore the options... but that’s exactly where we come in.
We help clients shape their project plan and build the grant application pathway into it — so you’re not trying to do both at once.
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