Product discovery checklist
CPS TechLabs · Use before your first discovery call with any build partner (or us).
1. Outcomes
- What business metric should move in 90 days? (revenue, cost, speed, quality, risk)
- Who decides “done” and what evidence will they accept?
- What happens if we do nothing for six months?
2. Users and workflows
- Primary user roles (e.g. admin, agent, patient, buyer) and their top 3 jobs-to-be-done
- Today’s workflow: tools used, manual steps, where errors occur
- Peak load: concurrent users, transaction volume, seasonal spikes
3. Integrations and data
- Systems we must read/write (CRM, ERP, payments, identity, maps, messaging)
- Source of truth for key entities; duplicate data we must reconcile
- Exports, reporting, and audit requirements
4. Constraints
- Compliance: region, industry rules, data residency, PII/PHI
- Non-negotiable dates or external launch windows
- Budget band and what is in vs out of scope for v1
5. Success and handover
- Definition of MVP vs phase 2
- Who operates the product post-launch; training needed
- Support expectations: hours, SLAs, on-call