How long does the discovery phase take in a custom CRM project — is it included in the quote?

An agency offering discovery for free or bundling it into the package isn't doing real analysis; they're just figuring out how to squeeze your business into their ready-made templates. The agency asking 75.000 TL for a dedicated discovery phase is doing it right. Just make sure your contract explicitly states that full IP ownership of that discovery report belongs to you.

We faced the exact same dilemma last year on our 35-user textile CRM project. We paid 60.000 TL for a 5-week discovery. The resulting report was 84 pages long, and what we initially thought would be 6 modules turned out to require 11. Had we skipped paying for discovery upfront, we easily would have run into at least 200.000 TL in scope change costs midway through.

Paid discovery makes sense in theory, but some agencies just use it as an easy cash grab. They'll spend 4 weeks filling in boilerplate templates and dump them on your desk. Before signing anything, ask to see a redacted sample of a past discovery document so you can evaluate the depth of their work.

At minimum, your discovery deliverables should include: 1) User stories with acceptance criteria, 2) A database entity-relationship diagram, 3) Integration flow architecture for external tools, 4) A clickable prototype or wireframe flows, 5) A clear, man-day timeline for development phases.

What accounting or ERP software are you currently running? What heavily dictates discovery duration isn't just internal workflows, it's whether that legacy system has proper API support. If it's a closed-off system, just running feasibility on the integration can take two weeks on its own.

Edit: asked below, I wrote the answer in the second message.

10 days of discovery just means they'll do 2 quick meetings and start hacking away. then when field staff says this screen isn't what we wanted the agency asks for extra budget but separate discovery is always safer.

On our first project we went with the free discovery quote to save money... What was supposed to take nine months dragged on for two whole years, and half the team ended up refusing to use the system. Cutting corners on discovery ends up costing far more than the software itself.

Negotiate with the second agency like this: agree to the 75.000 TL discovery fee, but specify that if you proceed with them for development based on that report, half of that amount gets deducted from the total project cost. That's a very common practice in the industry and protects both sides.

Absolutely. If I were to add anything: Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

I have an objection here. The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval. This is my opinion I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

I feel the same way. Everyone rushing into custom CRM discovery delivery time gets stuck at the same point.

When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand. Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

I have an objection here. Every "well look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.

The real issue isn't the number, but what it's based on. Proven by experience.

Let me speak from the other side; I'm on the supplier side. Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

Proven by experience.

Let me clarify the technical side. Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

If you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

Saved. Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

Same here.

let me clarify the technical side. everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

proven by experience.

I'd say don't rush. Ask who prepared the quote and who will actually do the work.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.