Understand the problem

• Are we clear on what the specific problem is that we are trying to solve?
• Does it bring value to any of our stakeholders? (Owners, employees, partners, suppliers, community, environment and clients)

Policy alignment

• Does it align with our vision, mission, purpose, behaviours, strategy, goals and policies?
• Is it ethical?
• Is it fair?
• Does it limit impact on the environment?
• Is it secure and can we guarantee data privacy?

Stakeholder engagement

• Do we know anyone in the industry we can talk to for more information? E.g. users, SMEs
• Do we have any diversity of experience we can draw upon from within the team?
• Have we considered the impact on all impacted stakeholders?

Deliver value

• What does success look like? e.g. expected benefits
• Can we quantify success? What is the metric?
• How much will it cost? Actual cost + opportunity cost + expenses
• How long will it take? Actual + lapsed time
• How long is the payback period?

Understand risks

• Is there any benefit or risk to our reputation?
• Are there any safety risks?
• Does it pose a risk to the security or privacy of any stakeholders?
• Are there any risks to doing this?
• What is the risk of ‘not’ doing this?

Conduct research

• Have we undertaken thorough, relevant and validated research?
• What were the sources? What did we learn?
• Who or what are our competitors?
• How do we differentiate?
• Is there market need/demand and how can we validate this?
• What are the other viable options?

Ensure accountability

• Who is the decision maker?
• When do we need the decision?
• Who will own it and be accountable?