# Discovery Phase

> The discovery phase is the first stage of an AI engagement, in which scope, data, workflows, success criteria, and constraints are mapped before any system is built.

Category: Methodology
Source: https://impetora.com/glossary/discovery-phase
Part of: Impetora AI consulting glossary (https://impetora.com/glossary)

## What is Discovery Phase?

A typical discovery phase runs 1-2 weeks. Activities include stakeholder interviews, data inventory and quality review, current-state workflow mapping, regulatory and risk classification, success metric definition, and a build-or-buy recommendation. The output is a written scope and a go/no-go decision. Skipping discovery is the most reliable way to ship an AI system that solves the wrong problem.

## How does Discovery Phase apply to enterprise AI?

Every Impetora engagement begins with discovery. The same artefacts double as the documentation regulators expect under the EU AI Act conformity assessment.

## Related terms

- [TRACE Methodology](https://impetora.com/glossary/trace-methodology) - TRACE is Impetora's four-pillar methodology for delivering enterprise AI in regulated industries: Trust, Readiness, Architecture, Citations.
- [Pilot Phase](https://impetora.com/glossary/pilot-phase) - The pilot phase is the staged build of a working AI system on a narrow, real workflow with real data, evaluated against success criteria agreed in discovery.
- [Impact Assessment](https://impetora.com/glossary/impact-assessment) - An impact assessment is a structured analysis of the potential effects an AI system could have on individuals, groups, and processes before it is deployed.
- [Build vs Buy AI](https://impetora.com/glossary/build-vs-buy-ai) - Build vs buy is the strategic decision between developing an AI capability internally or in partnership, versus licensing a finished product from a vendor.

## External references

- [Impetora methodology](https://impetora.com/methodology)

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