Projects lose margin when the environment you scoped isn't the environment your team finds once work begins. Undocumented devices, unexpected configurations, outdated infrastructure, security gaps, and incomplete documentation can turn seemingly straightforward projects into hours of unplanned discovery and remediation.
Liongard gives MSPs deeper visibility into the existing client environment before work begins, helping teams validate assumptions, identify dependencies, and uncover potential scope before estimating labor and building the project plan.
This helps MSPs:
Scope projects with better environmental data
Identify potential blockers before work begins
Reduce unplanned discovery during implementation
Build more accurate labor estimates
Surface additional project opportunities
Improve handoffs between sales, project, and technical teams
Protect project margins from avoidable surprises
Why project margins become unpredictable
Project estimates are only as good as the information they're based on.
If project teams are working from stale documentation or incomplete discovery, they may not learn about important dependencies until implementation has already started. Common surprises include:
More devices or users than expected
Unsupported operating systems
Unexpected network infrastructure
Configuration inconsistencies
Missing security controls
Legacy systems
Undocumented dependencies
Identity or licensing issues
At that point, the MSP either absorbs the additional labor or has to return to the customer with a change in scope. Better discovery helps move those conversations before the project begins.
Step 1 — Validate the environment before scoping
Use Liongard's asset and configuration data to establish a clearer picture of the environment involved in the project.
Depending on the project, review:
Devices and servers
Operating systems
Users and identities
Microsoft 365 configurations
Network infrastructure
Firewalls
Licensing
Security controls
Relevant system configurations
Asset Inventory can help teams quickly establish device and identity counts and identify assets that may require additional investigation. The goal is to validate the assumptions behind the project before turning them into an estimate.
Step 2 — Use Roar Assistant for project discovery
Roar Assistant can help project teams quickly explore Liongard data before manually digging through individual systems. Ask questions relevant to the proposed project, such as:
Which devices are running an unsupported operating system?
Which users don't have MFA enabled?
How many devices are in this environment?
Which servers may need to be included in this project?
What firewall infrastructure does this customer have?
Which users have privileged access?
This can help teams identify areas that require deeper investigation before finalizing scope.
Step 3 — Look for dependencies and potential blockers
Once the environment is understood, identify conditions that could affect implementation. For example:
Microsoft 365 or identity projects
Review:
User counts
Licensing
MFA coverage
Privileged access
Existing identity configurations
Security projects
Review:
Endpoint coverage
MFA adoption
Firewall configurations
Unsupported systems
Existing security controls
Infrastructure refreshes
Review:
Device inventory
Operating systems
Server configurations
Network infrastructure
Hardware lifecycle information where available
Onboarding or migration projects
Review:
Existing assets
Identities
Infrastructure
Configuration data
Systems that may have been missed during initial discovery
The earlier these conditions are identified, the easier it is to account for them in scope, labor, and pricing.
Step 4 — Turn discovery gaps into defined project scope
Not every finding should become free remediation work. If discovery identifies additional work, use the evidence to determine whether it should be:
Included in the original scope
Added as a project phase
Addressed through a change order
Planned as a separate project
Added to the client's technology roadmap
For example, a planned Microsoft 365 security project may reveal that a customer also has dozens of accounts without MFA, excessive privileged access, or licensing inconsistencies.
Those findings can be quantified and addressed before implementation rather than discovered halfway through the engagement.
Step 5 — Establish a pre-project baseline
Before implementation begins, capture the current state of the systems being changed. Liongard's historical configuration visibility provides a baseline teams can reference throughout the project.
This can help answer:
Was this configuration already present before the project?
Did this setting change during implementation?
What was the previous value?
Did the project introduce unexpected configuration drift?
Having that context can reduce troubleshooting time and disagreements about what changed during project execution.
Step 6 — Validate the environment after completion
Once the project is complete, use Liongard again to validate the resulting environment.
Confirm that:
Expected systems are present
Target configurations are in place
Identified gaps were remediated
Unexpected drift hasn't been introduced
The environment reflects the intended project outcome
This creates a cleaner transition from project implementation back into ongoing managed services.
Identify future project opportunities
Project discovery can also surface issues outside the immediate scope.
Examples might include:
MFA or Conditional Access rollout
Device refreshes
Server encryption
EDR coverage gaps
Firewall remediation
Licensing optimization
Identity cleanup
Security configuration hardening
Rather than absorbing these findings as unexpected project labor, teams can turn them into clearly defined future opportunities backed by environmental evidence.
Best practices
Perform Liongard discovery before finalizing project scope.
Validate asset counts instead of relying solely on documentation.
Review project-specific configurations and dependencies.
Establish a baseline before making major changes.
Separate newly discovered work from the agreed project scope.
Use findings to support change orders or future project recommendations.
Validate the environment again before project closeout.
Give project teams access to the same operational context used during scoping.
Operational outcomes
Using asset intelligence throughout the project lifecycle helps MSPs:
Improve scope accuracy
Reduce unexpected labor
Build more predictable project estimates
Identify blockers earlier
Reduce implementation delays
Improve sales-to-project handoffs
Support change orders with evidence
Identify additional billable opportunities
Protect project margins
Deliver more consistent project outcomes