The Define Phase Reimagined: A Modern Approach to Discovery and Change

Transformation doesn’t begin with a process — it begins with people.

The Define phase of the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC framework is about finding clarity before change. It’s where we uncover inefficiencies, frame challenges, and understand the systems that shape how work gets done. But clarity alone isn’t enough — people must believe that change is necessary, and that they have a role in making it real.

That’s why, in my practice, the Define phase isn’t only technical. It integrates the disciplines of Business Architecture, Business Process Management, Lean Six Sigma, and Organizational Change Management, guided by Kotter’s first two steps:

1. Create a Sense of Urgency

2. Build a Guiding Coalition

Together, these create alignment — between people, process, and purpose — before we ever move into measurement or design.

Step 1: Start with SIPOC — Defining the System and Creating Urgency

Every improvement begins with understanding the system you’re improving.

The SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) model establishes the boundaries of a process. It helps visualize how value moves through the organization and where it gets lost.

But here’s where change management enters: SIPOC also creates a shared sense of urgency. When stakeholders see, often for the first time, how fragmented their inputs and outputs are — when they see the waste, duplication, or confusion laid bare — it sparks awareness that “business as usual” isn’t sustainable.

That’s the moment Kotter calls creating a sense of urgency — a psychological trigger for engagement and accountability.

For example, in one engagement, simply mapping how stakeholder requests moved between six different inboxes before reaching resolution galvanized leaders into acknowledging, “We can’t keep working like this.” The SIPOC didn’t just clarify process scope — it built the emotional case for transformation.

Step 2: Identify and Map Business Capabilities — Defining the Architecture of Value

Once we understand process flow, we shift from what we do to what we enable.

Through Business Capability Mapping, we define the essential functions that deliver value — such as client onboarding, policy administration, stakeholder engagement, or incident resolution.

This creates a bridge between Lean Six Sigma and Business Architecture:

SIPOC defines how work flows.

• Capability mapping defines why it matters.

• Each capability is assessed across four critical domains:

• People – Skills, accountability, and culture

• Process – Consistency, efficiency, and control

• Technology – Systems and tools supporting the work

• Information – Data quality, access, and insights

The capability map becomes your blueprint for understanding where maturity gaps exist and where investment will matter most.

Step 3: Conduct a Capability Maturity Assessment — Measuring Readiness, Not Just Process

The maturity assessment provides structure to what often feels subjective.

Using a simple 1–5 scale, we assess each capability within those four domains — from ad hoc to optimized. This not only measures performance, but readiness for change.

For instance:

• A process may be highly automated (Technology = Level 4) but poorly adopted (People = Level 2).

• Another may have well-trained staff but outdated systems.

These findings help you target where transformation will face resistance, skill gaps, or infrastructure constraints — a key step in building Kotter’s Guiding Coalition. The coalition isn’t just leaders — it’s composed of people representing each maturity domain, empowered to champion improvement within their sphere.

Step 4: Capture the Voice of the Customer — Aligning Change with Purpose

The Voice of the Customer (VOC) connects process improvement to real-world impact. Whether through surveys, interviews, or journey mapping, VOC ensures that transformation efforts are anchored in what users actually value — not what we assume they do.

From a change management standpoint, VOC creates empathy-driven urgency. When stakeholders hear customer frustration firsthand — long wait times, inconsistent information, unclear communication — they’re no longer responding to an abstract metric. They’re responding to a human experience.

In product management terms, this is the “discovery” moment — when we validate that we’re solving the right problem.

Step 5: Identify Pain Points and Friction

With structure and sentiment now visible, the next step is to pinpoint where inefficiencies and risks live.

Common friction points include:

• Delays from excessive handoffs or approvals

• Rework caused by unclear quality criteria

• Duplication from parallel processes

• Disconnects from siloed systems or unclear roles

Each pain point is linked back to a capability domain (people, process, technology, or information) and mapped to its impact on the customer or organization. In this phase, the coalition begins to see how their own functions contribute to or are affected by the problem — deepening buy-in and accountability.

Step 6: Map the Current State Process — Making the Invisible Visible

If SIPOC shows the architecture, the Current State Process Map shows the reality. Here, we detail the true flow of work — who does what, when, and with what tools or information.

Through collaborative workshops, shadowing, and data review, we capture not only the sequence but the story of the process. This visual becomes the foundation for alignment. It bridges analysis and empathy — leaders see both the numbers and the lived experience.

In one project, mapping revealed that 40% of total process time was spent waiting for information that existed elsewhere in the organization. That discovery became the turning point for cross-departmental collaboration — the coalition’s first small win, as Kotter would describe it.

Step 7: Define the Project Charter — Turning Insight into Intention

Finally, the Define phase concludes with a Project Charter — the structured commitment to act. It articulates:

• Problem Statement – What issue are we solving?

• Goal Statement – What does success look like?

• Scope – What’s in, what’s out?

• Metrics – How will we measure success?

• Roles and Stakeholders – Who owns what?

At this stage, the organization has not only analytical clarity — it has emotional and operational momentum. By combining data, insight, and coalition support, we enter the next phase with purpose and alignment.

Bringing It All Together: The Human Architecture of Definition

The Define phase is more than documentation — it’s organizational alignment through structured understanding. It connects the analytical rigor of Lean Six Sigma with the empathy of Change Management and the strategic structure of Business Architecture.

When executed well, it doesn’t just define the problem — it defines belief.

It creates urgency, fosters ownership, and builds a coalition ready to measure, analyze, and improve.

That’s where transformation begins — not with technology or process, but with clarity, connection, and commitment.