Discovery

HCM Project Discovery Guidelines

The Discovery phase is the foundational stage of an HCM BPM project where problems, scope, requirements, constraints, risks, and compliance impacts are clarified. Discovery aligns stakeholders, reduces uncertainty, and ensures recommendations are evidence-based before any configuration, automation, or implementation work begins.

The BPM-HCM team is actively partnering with the IT TeamDynamix (TDX) team to automate portions of ticket workflow and reporting. As automation functionality is updated and approved, improvements will be implemented incrementally in production. Complete and accurate discovery documentation is required to support automation readiness and reporting accuracy.

What Discovery Is (and Is Not)

Discovery is:
  • A structured process to understand the problem before proposing solutions
  • A time to validate assumptions using stakeholder input and available data
  • A phase to identify constraints (policy, compliance, system, capacity) early
  • A foundation for executive-ready recommendations and governance decisions
Discovery is not:
  • A configuration/build phase
  • A commitment to implement a specific solution
  • A forum for one-off preferences without evidence or documented need
  • A place to bypass policy, compliance, or governance expectations

Purpose

This article provides a consistent, repeatable approach for conducting Discovery on HCM projects at the University of Arkansas. It includes guidance for planning, stakeholder engagement, documentation, analysis facilitation, and executive-ready recommendations.

Roles & Responsibilities

Role Responsibilities in Discovery
BPM – HCM (Lead) Facilitate Discovery, document findings, lead current-state mapping, develop the initial Discovery project plan, synthesize interview outcomes, guide analysis sessions, identify gaps/risks/dependencies, build RACI, and develop executive-ready recommendations.
Strategic Data & Process Innovation – Data Analytics Provide analytics, validate assumptions, support baseline metric creation, and help define measurable targets.
Functional Teams
(HR Policy, Class & Comp, HRP, Academic HR, Payroll, Training, Athletics, etc.)		 Supply SME input, describe operational realities, identify constraints and compliance requirements, validate findings, and participate in planning and review sessions.
Project Sponsor Confirm scope and priorities, help resolve conflicts/escalations, and make the Discovery go/no-go decision for next steps.
Stakeholders Provide feedback on needs, validate requirements, and confirm operational fit and impact for affected populations.

Initial Discovery Project Plan

Before stakeholder engagement begins, BPM-HCM creates an initial Discovery project plan to establish structure and expectations. The plan should be refined as insights emerge.

Plan Component What to Include
Objectives & Success Criteria What Discovery must produce and how “complete” is defined for this request.
Scope & Boundaries What is included/excluded; assumptions that must be validated.
Stakeholder & Interview Targets Who must be interviewed; what roles/perspectives are required.
Meetings & Timeline Kickoff, interview window, synthesis window, review sessions, conclusion.
Deliverables Artifacts required for review and executive recommendation.
Risks & Dependencies (Initial) Known risks; data access; scheduling constraints; policy dependencies.

Discovery Phases

1) Kickoff & Alignment
  • Explain objectives, process, deliverables, and roles
  • Confirm scope boundaries and decision points
  • Agree on timeline, communications, and interview targets
Output: confirmed scope, stakeholder list, initial Discovery plan
2) Current-State Mapping & Fit/Gap
  • Document current workflows (roles, steps, approvals, exceptions)
  • Identify pain points, rework, and bottlenecks
  • Validate observations with available metrics/transaction data
Output: As-Is process documentation, initial fit/gap observations
3) Stakeholder Research
  • Conduct structured interviews with SMEs and impacted roles
  • Capture pain points, constraints, compliance concerns, and desired outcomes
  • Document findings using standard templates
Output: completed interview notes + documented themes
4) Synthesis
  • Aggregate findings and identify patterns vs. outliers
  • Confirm constraints (policy/compliance/system/capacity)
  • Draft requirements, risks, and possible paths forward
Output: consolidated interview outcomes + draft findings
5) Planning Session(s)
  • Validate findings, requirements, and impacts with the Discovery team
  • Confirm priorities, dependencies, and what moves forward vs. deferred
  • Assign ownership using RACI
Output: validated requirements + updated risk/dependency log + updated plan
6) Conclusion Meeting
  • Confirm deliverables and decision points are complete
  • Validate the go/no-go recommendation readiness
  • Confirm next steps and sponsor sign-off expectations
Output: final Discovery packet + sponsor-ready recommendation

Interviews

Who Is Involved

  • Interview Facilitator: BPM-HCM (required)
  • Interview Note-Taker: BPM-HCM or assigned support (recommended)
  • SME / Stakeholder: interview participant (required)
  • Optional attendees: Data Analytics or functional lead when needed for clarification (avoid large audiences)

What Interviews Should Cover

  • Current process experience and real workflow steps
  • Pain points, bottlenecks, rework, exceptions, and workarounds
  • Constraints (policy, compliance, security, system limits, capacity)
  • Desired outcomes (what “better” looks like) without committing to solutions
  • Success measures (time, accuracy, compliance, user experience)

How to Conduct Interviews

  1. Start with purpose, scope, and expectations (Discovery is not a build commitment).
  2. Use structured questions and confirm definitions (what “done” means, what “impact” means).
  3. Ask for examples (screenshots, scenarios, volumes, timing constraints) when relevant.
  4. Validate understanding by summarizing back key points before closing.
  5. Document risks, dependencies, and constraints explicitly as they arise.

Documentation & Outcomes

Documenting Individual Interviews

Each interview must be documented using the standard interview notes template. Document outcomes in a way that can be synthesized across interviews (themes, constraints, risks, and requirements).

Documenting Overall Outcomes

After interviews are complete, BPM-HCM consolidates findings into themes and validates them against data and compliance requirements. Use a single synthesis summary to capture patterns, outliers, and recommended next-step options.

Team Review & Analysis

Presenting Findings Back to the Discovery Team

  • Provide the consolidated themes and key evidence (qualitative + available metrics)
  • Separate “what we heard” from “what we recommend”
  • Call out conflicts, outliers, and decisions needed
  • Confirm what moves forward now vs. deferred to future optimization

Guiding Analysis to a Recommendation

Use a structured decision discussion:

  1. Confirm the validated problem statement(s)
  2. Confirm constraints (policy/compliance/system/capacity/security)
  3. Compare options (including no-change) by impact, effort, risk, and feasibility
  4. Agree on success measures and critical requirements
  5. Assign ownership using RACI for next-phase activities

Executive Recommendation

BPM-HCM prepares an executive-ready recommendation that summarizes the problem, evidence, constraints, options considered, and the recommended path forward with associated risks and dependencies.

Executive Readout Should Include:
  • Problem statement and impact
  • Current-state gaps and risks
  • Stakeholder interview themes
  • Compliance/policy considerations
  • Options analysis (including no-change)
  • Recommendation + go/no-go decision request
  • High-level next steps and ownership (RACI)

Identifying Gaps, Risks, and Responsibility (RACI)

How to Identify Gaps

  • Define “desired state” outcomes (not solutions) and compare to current-state realities
  • Document gaps as measurable or observable misalignments (time, errors, compliance risk, rework)
  • Confirm whether gaps are process, policy, configuration, training, or reporting related

How to Identify Risks

  • Capture risks from interviews and validate likelihood/impact with functional leads
  • Include compliance, audit exposure, security, timing, and resource risks
  • Document mitigation approach and assign an owner

RACI Use

Use RACI to clarify responsibility for next-phase tasks and prevent role ambiguity.

RACI Definition
Responsible Executes the work
Accountable Owns final decision/outcome
Consulted Provides input/expertise
Informed Receives updates

Outputs & Deliverables

Discovery deliverables should be completed using standardized templates and stored with the project documentation.

Artifact Purpose
Problem Statement & Business Case Clarifies the problem, drivers, outcomes, risks, and success measures
Stakeholder Map & RACI Defines who is involved and ownership expectations
As-Is Process Documentation Documents current workflow, approvals, exceptions
Fit/Gap Analysis Compares current state to desired outcomes; documents constraints
Requirements Catalogue Defines functional/non-functional needs with acceptance criteria
Data & Performance Baseline Establishes baselines and targets for measurable improvements
Policy & Compliance Review Documents policy/legal constraints and required actions
Risk & Dependency Log Captures risks/dependencies with mitigation and ownership
Initial Project Plan & Milestones Sets Discovery milestones and transitions to next phase
Decision Log & Go/No-Go Recommendation Tracks decisions and final recommendation for leadership

Success Criteria

  • Requirements are validated with stakeholder review
  • Policy and compliance impacts are reviewed and documented
  • Baseline metrics and target outcomes are defined (when applicable)
  • Risks and dependencies are documented with mitigation and ownership
  • RACI is defined for next-phase work
  • Executive leadership has sufficient information for a go/no-go decision
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