theIntegrix

Pre-sales vs Consulting — where discovery fits and what to expect

Discovery may be run as :

part of pre-sales (to validate scope & estimate)
a standalone consulting engagement that produces a roadmap, risk register and handoff artifacts.

We explain pros, cons and recommended engagement models.

When should discovery be in pre-sales mode

Buyer needs a quick feasibility and high-level cost picture to decide on procurement.
Project boundaries are clear and low unknowns exist.
Quick PoC or pilot scope is acceptable before full engagement.

When should discovery be in consulting mode

Significant unknowns exist (legacy systems, compliance constraints, multiple vendors).
Business-critical systems with high risk or regulatory needs.
When stakeholder alignment and operational readiness are required before delivery.

How to work with theIntegrix for consulting

Request intake — provide contacts, documents and a short objectives list.
Mutual NDA & access — sign and provide read-only access to necessary environments.
Run workshops — we facilitate technical and business workshops to capture requirements.
Delivery & handoff — we deliver artifacts, runbooks and a prioritized backlog ready for implementation.

Request consulting Back to discovery

Pre-sales Discovery — fast, scoped, estimation-focused

When run as pre-sales, discovery is focused on answering: Can we deliver this? How long and at what cost?
The goal is to validate scope, reduce assumptions, identify major risks and produce a credible estimate.

Goal

Validate feasibility and provide commercial estimate (level of effort / budget range).

Typical duration

1–2 weeks (time-boxed).

Deliverables

Solution sketch & scope boundary
High-level estimate (T-shirt or points)
Key technical risks & mitigation options

Consulting / Advisory Discovery — deeper, actionable and team-ready

Consulting engagements aim to leave your organization with a prioritized, measurable implementation plan.
They include deeper technical analysis, compliance mapping, runbooks, and a clear acceptance checklist for engineering teams.

Goal

Produce an actionable roadmap and artifacts that enable safe, measured delivery.

Typical duration

2–6 weeks depending on scope and access to artifacts.

Deliverables

Systems inventory, component diagrams (C4)
Integration and data-flow matrices
Risk register & security controls mapping
Implementation backlog with estimates and acceptance criteria
Runbooks & operational playbooks

Engagement & pricing patterns

Fixed-scope Discovery

Defined deliverables, fixed price, time-boxed. Best when inputs are provided and scope is bounded.

Time & materials

Flexible, billed weekly. Best when unknowns are large and you prefer to iterate.

Outcome-based pilot

Small pilot with success criteria tied to payments—useful when proof-of-value matters.