Skip to main content

Discovery Release — Shape Up Planning

A discovery release is the scoping and planning phase for a new engagement. It answers the question: what do we build and why? The output is a release brief and sprint plan — the formal inputs to a delivery release.

Discovery uses the Shape Up methodology: fixed time, variable scope. You work within an appetite (how much time this is worth) and produce a shaped solution — specific enough to build from, but leaving room for implementation decisions.

When to start with Discovery​

  • The client is not sure exactly what they need built
  • The scope needs to be negotiated before a fixed SOW is signed
  • The team wants to formally validate the problem before committing to a delivery estimate
  • There are multiple competing priorities that need to be shaped into a coherent release brief

If you already have a signed, well-scoped SOW, you may not need a discovery release — go straight to the appropriate delivery type.

Discovery artifact flow​

Workflow​

/wire:new                                          # release_type: discovery

# Step 1: Problem Definition
/wire:problem-definition-generate 01-discovery
/wire:problem-definition-validate 01-discovery
/wire:problem-definition-review 01-discovery

# Step 2: Pitch
/wire:pitch-generate 01-discovery
/wire:pitch-validate 01-discovery
/wire:pitch-review 01-discovery                    # betting table review

# Step 3: Release Brief
/wire:release-brief-generate 01-discovery
/wire:release-brief-validate 01-discovery
/wire:release-brief-review 01-discovery            # client sign-off

# Step 4: Sprint Plan
/wire:sprint-plan-generate 01-discovery
/wire:sprint-plan-validate 01-discovery
/wire:sprint-plan-review 01-discovery              # team approval

# Spawn the downstream delivery releases:
/wire:release:spawn 01-discovery
Tutorial available

A worked example of a Discovery (Shape Up) engagement — using a fictional client scenario with realistic command output, agent delegation, and reviewer decisions — is available in the Tutorial: Discovery (Shape Up).

Step 1: Problem Definition​

/wire:problem-definition-generate 01-discovery

The AI reads the engagement context and any call transcripts, and produces a structured problem framing with six components:

  • Who has the problem: the specific role or team experiencing the friction
  • What they are trying to do: the goal or job to be done
  • What the current friction is: the specific obstacle or pain
  • Why it matters: business impact if not addressed
  • Current workarounds: what people are doing instead
  • Constraints: time, budget, technology, regulatory

Validation checks that the problem is specific (not vague), measurable (impact is quantifiable), and framed as a problem (not a solution).

Step 2: Pitch​

/wire:pitch-generate 01-discovery

Produces a 10-section Shape Up pitch:

  1. Problem — the approved problem statement
  2. Appetite — how much time this is worth (1–2 weeks small batch, or 6 weeks big batch)
  3. Solution sketch — a fat-marker description
  4. Rabbit holes — known implementation traps to avoid
  5. No-gos — scope items explicitly excluded
  6. Risks — technical or business risks
  7. Success criteria — how we'll know this release succeeded
  8. Downstream releases — delivery releases this pitch would spawn
  9. Timeline — proposed start date, end date, and key milestones
  10. The bet — the decision to commit

The betting table review. This is where the pitch is presented to decision-makers — typically the engagement lead and client sponsor. The outcome is recorded: bet approved, modified, or deferred.

Step 3: Release Brief​

/wire:release-brief-generate 01-discovery

Formalises the approved pitch as a client-facing release brief — a commitment document. Includes: the approved problem statement, solution description, deliverables list, constraints and assumptions, dependencies, downstream releases, timeline with milestones, and a sign-off section.

Client sign-off. Once signed off, it becomes the authorising document for the downstream delivery releases.

Step 4: Sprint Plan​

/wire:sprint-plan-generate 01-discovery

Decomposes the approved release brief into a sprint plan: epics, stories, and tasks with Fibonacci point estimates (1, 2, 3, 5, 8 — no 13-point stories; anything larger must be broken down). The total points are checked against the appetite budget.

Spawning delivery releases​

/wire:release:spawn 01-discovery

Reads the approved release brief to identify the planned downstream delivery releases, then creates the folder structure and status.md for each one. The spawned releases are ready to start immediately.

Tip: Run /wire:playbook-generate 01-discovery after the problem definition is approved to generate a BPMN-style visual delivery plan for this release.