The procedure document and the process people actually follow are rarely the same thing.
Discovery closes that gap: it captures what a process actually is today, from the people who run it and the systems that record it, before anyone tries to redesign it.
You cannot design or automate a process nobody has actually described yet.
A workshop produces a description of what people believe happens. Discovery checks that description against the people running the process day to day and the systems that record what they actually did, and reconciles the two before anything gets redesigned.
From the people who run it
Structured sessions with the operators and process owners, not a single stakeholder interview standing in for the whole team.
From the systems that record it
Where system logs already exist, discovery is cross-checked against them rather than relying on self-reported description alone. That cross-check is the handoff into process mining.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a discovery engagement take?
It depends on scope, but discovery is designed to run as the first tranche of a 90-day engagement, not a standalone project with no defined end.
What if we already have process documentation?
Discovery still checks it against the people running the process and, where logs exist, the systems that recorded it. Existing documentation is a starting point, not assumed to be accurate.
What happens after discovery?
The findings feed directly into process design, or into process mining if the priority is measuring what already happens rather than deciding what should happen next.