Define the problem before anyone proposes a solution.
Define is where broad understanding becomes detailed analysis – establishing what actually needs to change, why it matters, and what good would look like.
Why this stage exists
Most businesses know where their frustrations lie. Reporting is difficult, scheduling is inefficient, information is hard to find. What is less clear is why these issues occur, how they connect, and what should actually be done about them.
Many projects fail because requirements and solutions get mixed together too early. Teams start discussing systems and implementation before the underlying problem is understood, and expensive assumptions become embedded in the project from the very beginning.
What happens during Define
Working with your key stakeholders, we build a properly evidenced picture of how the business operates today and where the real constraints sit.
Typical activities include:
Stakeholder interviews across the business
Process reviews of how work really flows
Systems reviews and how they connect
Data quality and reporting discussions
Identification of constraints and dependencies
Clarification of objectives and priorities
Throughout, the emphasis is on separating symptoms from root causes. A slow quoting process and a reporting problem often turn out to be the same underlying issue wearing two different faces.
Nothing moves forward until you agree with what we’ve found. Define concludes with a walk-through of the findings, where they get validated, challenged and refined. That agreement is the gate – the next stage, Design, doesn’t begin until it’s in place.
What Define is - and what it isn't
but
Define isn't
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A technical or solution design exercise
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The build itself, or any part of it
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An open-ended or exploratory engagement
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A pure wish list of features from stakeholders
Define is
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A structured definition phase
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A collaborative working engagement
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A way to properly understand the problem
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The foundation for everything that follows
What you get
Our “Clarity Before Code” document which covers:
- The current situation being faced
- The challenges identified
- Root causes, not just symptoms
- The opportunities for improvement
- The desired future outcomes
- Assumptions, constraints and risks
Could you work this out yourself?
Nobody knows your business better than you do.
The difficulty is that no single person sees the whole flow. Everyone knows their own part clearly and the handovers dimly, so the picture depends on who you ask. And once something has been done the same way for two years, it stops being a problem and becomes “just how it works” – the people closest to it are the least likely to flag it.
We interview across the business, map how work really flows end to end, and bring the findings back for you to challenge before anything moves forward.
What happens next
Once the requirements are agreed, Design turns that understanding into a practical delivery plan – work packages, timescales, costs and risks.
Take the methodology with you
A complete guide to all six stages – Diagnose, Define, Design, Develop, Deliver and Depend – including what happens at each stage, what you receive, and how the stages connect.
Written to be shared with your team.
Find out what actually needs to change
Get started with a free Diagnose session – a structured conversation about where the friction really sits.
Free, no obligation
