Identify Phase

Why are we working on this project?

What need does this project address and how has the value been validated?

How does this project align with the strategic goals and/or benchmarking results?

Have we done a market/competitive analysis?

If so, what does the analysis reveal?

Who are the external customers who will benefit from this project and who are the customers who may not benefit?

Furthermore, who are the internal stakeholders who could affect or be affected by this project?

Have we done a stakeholder analysis?

What does it say?

How will we determine success of the project?

What are the measurable attributes of this project and what are the goals associated with those measures?

Have we determined what is “in scope” and “out of scope” for the project?

Do measurement systems currently exist to support this project?

If so, what is the measurement system capability?

If not, what is needed?

How was the voice of the customer (VOC) obtained?

What are the prioritized functional requirements (critical to customer [CTC] or critical outputs) in measurable terms resulting from the VOC analysis?

Have the performance CTCs been entered into the DFSS Scorecard with any existing data?

If there is data, does it have integrity?

If this is a redesign effort, what kind of gap exists between the current performance and the requirements/goals?

What is the risk associated with this gap?

Do we have the appropriate people to undertake this project and do they have the appropriate skills?

What are the resource gaps in terms of people, skills, machines, IT support, etc.?

And what are the competing activities for these resources?