1. Identify the problem in need of addressing and describe which forces are driving the change effort.
2. Establish how the problem arose and determine the current impact of the problem.
3. Identify the specific organizational needs driving the change and explain each.
4. Identify specific variables, conditions, issues, and individuals that will impact the change effort negatively and describe how these should be handled prior to planning the change effort.
5. Identify underlying causes of the problem and determine how these causes should be addressed.
6. Identify the gap between the current situation and the targeted outcome and establish what needs to occur to build a process to address the gap.