## Steps 1. Define the goals in terms of **expected outcomes**. - Verify you fully understand the goals *with your stakeholders*. - Is it worth doing or should you aim for something more valuable? 3. Establish the current state. - Ensure your team is aligned on what the current state looks like. - Are there any workarounds for the objective in place? - Can you reuse existing experience or tools? 1. Understand the remit and scope of this work. - Can you limit the (immediate) scope of the work? - Should the work be sliced into thinner pieces ("[elephant carpaccio](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TCuuu-8Mm14oxsOnlk8DqfZAA1cvtYu9WGv67Yj_sSk/pub)") by asking smaller questions? 2. Check if this objective or something similar has been worked on in the past. - What were the learnings made? - What might be reusable in this project? 3. Identify the domain experts and extended stakeholders. - Is human expertise available? ## Pitfalls - Unrealistic expectations. Next up is [2. Frame the problem](2.%20Frame%20the%20problem.md).