Reduce uncertainty before committing to a major system modernization project

Large technology projects should not begin with guesswork. Union.dev's fixed-fee Discovery engagement gives leadership and boards the clarity they need before making larger implementation decisions.

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6–8 Weeks Typical engagement timeline

Fixed Fee Defined scope and outputs

Board-Ready Executive presentation included

Discovery Engagement Outputs

Fixed-fee · 6–8 weeks · Board-ready

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Current-State Assessment Summary

Systems, workflows, and operational dependencies

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Data Readiness & Migration Risk Overview

Data quality, structural issues, migration complexity

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Modernization Gap Analysis

Current state vs. modern platform standards

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Phased Implementation Roadmap

Sequencing, cost ranges, and risk mitigation

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Executive Summary Presentation

Board-ready findings and recommended path

Why Discovery comes first

Most modernization projects fail or become expensive because key complexity is discovered too late.

Legacy systems often contain years of embedded business logic, manual workarounds, undocumented exceptions, custom reporting routines, data inconsistencies, and operational dependencies that are not visible during a typical sales process.

Instead of asking your organization to commit to a large implementation based on incomplete information, Union.dev begins with a focused assessment that materially reduces uncertainty before any larger commitment is made.

The goal is simple

Produce a board-ready roadmap, define the major deliverables, identify modernization risks, and establish a practical cost structure for the larger project.

What gets discovered too late in most projects

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Embedded business logic

Calculation rules and exception handling baked into legacy systems over years — not documented anywhere.

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Manual workarounds

Staff processes built around system limitations that are invisible until someone asks why a report runs the way it does.

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Data quality gaps

Structural inconsistencies, missing fields, and duplicate records that only surface during migration planning.

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Undocumented integrations

Third-party connections to accounting, payroll, banking, and reporting systems with no formal specifications.

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Governance and compliance dependencies

Reporting obligations, audit requirements, and plan rules that constrain implementation sequencing.

What we assess

During Discovery, Union.dev reviews the major operational, technical, and data factors that will shape a successful modernization project.

✓Current systems and legacy platforms

✓Core departmental workflows

✓Manual processes, bottlenecks, and workarounds

✓Embedded business rules and calculation logic

✓Data quality and migration readiness

✓Employer remittance processes

✓Integrations with accounting, financial, vendor, and external systems

✓Reporting routines and operational dependencies

✓Governance, compliance, and transition risks

The assessment is not intended to document every historical exception or edge case. It is designed to identify the material operational, technical, financial, and organizational considerations that will affect modernization strategy.

Assessment focus areas

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Operational

Departmental workflowsManual processesStaff workaroundsBottlenecks

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Technical

Legacy system architectureEmbedded business logicIntegration inventorySystem dependencies

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Data

Data quality patternsMigration readinessStructural consistencyVolume and complexity

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Governance & Risk

Compliance obligationsTransition risksBoard-level considerationsReporting requirements

Deliverables

At the end of the Discovery phase, Union.dev provides a clear set of executive-level deliverables designed to support a confident modernization decision.

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Current-State Assessment Summary

A practical overview of your organization's current systems, workflows, operating structure, integrations, and major dependencies.

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Data Readiness & Migration Risk Overview

A high-level assessment of observed data quality patterns, structural inconsistencies, legacy constraints, and overall migration complexity.

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Modernization Gap Analysis

A comparison of current capabilities against modern platform standards, including areas that may be configurable versus areas that may require deeper rebuild or redesign.

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Phased Implementation Roadmap

A recommended sequencing strategy for modernization, including budgetary cost ranges by phase and key risk mitigation considerations.

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Executive Summary Presentation

A board-ready presentation that frames the findings, financial considerations, risks, and recommended modernization path.

Typical timeline

Discovery engagements are typically completed over 6–8 weeks, depending on organization size, documentation availability, system complexity, and stakeholder scheduling.

Weeks 1–2

Interviews & Operational Review

Stakeholder interviews, workflow documentation, and current-state system review with key staff and department leads.

Weeks 3–5

Technical & Data Assessment

System architecture review, integration inventory, data quality sampling, and embedded business logic documentation.

Weeks 6–7

Risk Modeling & Roadmap Development

Gap analysis, phased sequencing strategy, budgetary cost range development, and risk mitigation planning.

Week 8

Executive Presentation

Board-ready presentation of findings, financial considerations, risks, and recommended modernization path.

Internal coordination: We recommend assigning an internal project liaison to help coordinate interviews, documentation, system access, and follow-up questions. Their involvement significantly improves both timeline and output quality.

Information that helps us quote Discovery

The first step is usually to quote the Discovery phase itself. To provide a ballpark quote, Union.dev typically starts with a short calibration discussion and a high-level review of your current environment.

You do not need to have perfect documentation. Even partial materials can help us understand project complexity and estimate the Discovery engagement more accurately.

○How it starts

Final pricing is confirmed after a 60-minute calibration discussion and a preliminary review of your system footprint, operational complexity, and integration environment.

Helpful materials (where available)

Current system names and vendors
Internal process documents or manuals
Organizational charts
Departmental workflow documentation
Samples of standard reports
Data dictionaries or field listings
Employer remittance file formats
Integration lists
Known system pain points
Board-level concerns or modernization goals

Partial materials are fine — we work with what is available and identify gaps as part of the engagement.

Engagement structure and scope

Discovery is structured as a fixed-fee engagement with defined outputs, timeline, and executive-level reporting. To keep it focused and cost-controlled, the scope is clearly bounded.

✓What Discovery includes

Assessment activities across operational, technical, and data domains
Stakeholder interviews and documentation review
Risk modeling and gap analysis
Phased implementation roadmap with budgetary cost ranges
Executive summary presentation
Fixed-fee engagement with defined timeline and outputs

×What Discovery does not include

Detailed implementation-level technical specifications
Full system redesign documentation
Data cleansing execution
Code redevelopment or configuration work
Vendor-neutral RFP drafting
Implementation execution

These activities may be scoped after Discovery once the modernization roadmap, risk profile, and project structure are clearly defined.

A better way to start modernization

Discovery gives your leadership team a practical foundation before making a larger technology decision.

If your organization is considering a major system modernization, Union.dev can begin with a short calibration call to understand your current environment and provide a ballpark Discovery quote.

Schedule a Calibration Call

Questions Discovery helps answer

What are we really replacing?

What complexity is hidden in our current systems?

What risks need to be managed?

What should happen first?

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What will the larger project likely cost?

What can we confidently take to the board?

Start with a calibration call

A short conversation about your current environment is all it takes to get a ballpark Discovery quote and understand whether the engagement is the right fit for your organization.

Schedule a Calibration Call Contact Union.dev

60 min Calibration discussion to scope Discovery

6–8 weeks Typical engagement duration

5 deliverables Including board-ready presentation

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