If you are about to embark on a new Pega project, then congratulations!

Before a project starts you will be going through what we call the Discover phase. You may have a clear vision of how to approach a business opportunity or problem, or you may have a problem with no defined solution, nor an idea of how to proceed. We can help with this.

The first thing we recommend you do is to reach out to your Pega representative for guidance; they can give you invaluable advice on how to get started. We’ve also included all the information you will need to get started on Pega Community. Our Pega Express delivery approach will guide you through the whole process, whether you are a new client or already part of the Pega ecosystem.

Our approach focuses on helping you achieve speed to value; delivering outcomes quickly. We don’t develop applications the ‘old way’, based on an antiquated requirements gathering process which can slow development, erode the business value and drive a gap between the business and IT. Nor do we deliver an application all in one go in a risky ‘big bang’ release. Instead, we use design thinking techniques to innovate and arrive at the best solution, then harness the power of Pega low-code platform to create your application in iterations. You’ll be asking yourself; what does that mean for my project? Is design thinking a good fit for me? Answering this question is a great place to start.

Design thinking with Pega typically (but not always) manifests itself in a design sprint which is a process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers before you create your application. In this context the prototype is not a technical prototype but something that will allow end users to test a concept; something that can be put together in a day and tested the next day. It’s a powerful way of getting to the best outcomes.

Typically a design sprint lasts 5 days and is run very early on. Whether you run a design sprint or not depends on the problem you are trying to solve, or opportunity you want to realize. If you have a problem that is clearly defined, and a way of solving that problem through an existing solution, by applying new rules for example, even complicated rules that are difficult to implement, then a design sprint may not add much value. A technical  upgrade or implementing straight-through processing that need to adhere to well-documented regulations do not suit a design sprint. However if you have a new problem, one that is not yet well defined or is complex, with multiple levels, multiple groups of individuals or unknown implications, and may be struggling to understand how to go from vision to roadmap, then a design sprint is a good fit. If you need to conceptualize a new solution to an existing problem, or get buy-in from various stakeholder for a new process, a design sprint is a good fit.

For example, if you are replacing a paper form with an online form and simple workflow, you will get less value from a design sprint but if you are rolling out a new product line over a new channel in multiple geographies, and have lots of open questions, you will learn a lot by applying design thinking techniques. Our Pega Community content provides more information about design sprints, and the pre-work require, in the links below. We know that every project is different, and has it’s unique circumstances; it’s about deciding what is best for you and what will give you the best outcomes.

We also want you to consider how you want to deliver your project. Who will lead the project? Will you lead it yourselves, or will Pega lead it or one of our partners, or a mix? Do you want to co-produce (embed your team in our team to learn) and start your journey towards self‑sufficiency and a lower cost of ownership? Do you want to setup a Centre of Excellence (COE) to drive consistency, centrally control the optimization of processes and reuse, further reduce delivery timelines, centralize governance etc. We have a helpful checklist below that will help you ask the right questions and remember, our Pega representatives are here to help guide you. 

Take a look at our related content using the links below, and explore Pega Academy and our Pega Express Delivery course.