Discovery phases that drift into 3+ months are usually a symptom of weak design — too many stakeholders, too little structure, no forcing function for closure. Mergen discovery phases land in 4-6 weeks consistently. Three patterns make that work.
The discovery phase has a deliverable: signed scope. Every workshop, every interview, every analysis serves that deliverable. If it doesn’t, it’s parked.
By week 3 of discovery, the architect ships a working prototype of the highest-risk capability. Stakeholders interact with the prototype, not slides. This catches misunderstandings before they become disagreements at week 12.
The decision-making structure is published in week 1: who signs scope, who breaks ties, who escalates. Without explicit decision rights, scope drifts forever.
Discovery should be a hard sprint with a clear finish line — not a meandering journey.
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