No pilot takes off without a flight plan, a route check and a weather forecast — even when they know exactly where they are heading. Yet many IT system implementations start in precisely the opposite way: take-off first, navigation later. In the world of IT solutions for debt collection, the Discovery phase serves as the flight plan and route assessment.
Debt Collection: Multiple Routes, One Destination
Debt collection is one of the most fragmented areas of a business. It involves dozens of strategies based on days past due (DPD), outstanding balances and debtor contact history; integrations with Poland’s e-Court system and bailiffs; restructuring processes; often cross-border cases subject to different jurisdictions; and monitoring limitation periods.
Every organisation puts these elements together differently, according to its own procedures, risk appetite and the legacy of previously used systems.
When the Flight Plan Is No Longer Fit for Purpose
The challenge is that requirements documented during the vendor selection process — sometimes many months before a project begins — may already be partially outdated by the time implementation gets underway, particularly in large organisations.
Only by taking a closer look at the organisation can a project team gain a proper understanding of how it actually operates, its internal processes and the findings of previous analysis and design work. Without this knowledge, initial estimates may be inaccurate, leading to scope disputes, repeated project changes and frustration on all sides.
Three Workstreams, One Clear Course
That is why a proven approach is to conduct a Discovery phase before development begins. It brings business and technical teams together across three parallel workstreams:
- Project management: the collaboration model, timeline and roles.
- Business analysis: process specifications, the backlog and UX wireframes.
- Technical analysis: architecture and proof of concept for the highest-risk components.
The outcome is a concrete set of deliverables: a validated specification, clickable prototypes, a prioritised backlog, and an estimate and roadmap for further system development — all based on facts rather than assumptions made months earlier.
Even a Shorter Flight Needs a Pre-Flight Check
Discovery also works on a smaller scale. For implementations based on an off-the-shelf product, a shorter workshop lasting just a few days may be sufficient. The client starts with the system in its existing, out-of-the-box configuration, while the workshop identifies priorities for further development.
This means determining which tasks, process strategies and integrations with the existing IT ecosystem should be addressed first to deliver tangible implementation benefits sooner.
Before Take-Off: The Final Check
In both scenarios, the principle is the same: before a project enters the implementation runway and significant investment goes into building the system, it is worth making sure that both the scope of work and the technology partner are ready for a safe take-off.
Experience from debt collection projects shows that this preparation pays off. It means fewer surprises, shorter implementation times and a development roadmap that guides both parties along an agreed course — rather than forcing them to correct their trajectory mid-flight.
