DEFINE - the scope and goals of the improvement project in terms of customer and/or business requirements and the processes that deliver these requirements.
REVIEW - map the 'as-is' processes and measure the current process performance to understand the 'value add'.
INVESTIGATE - analyse the gap between the current and desired performance, prioritise problems and identify root causes of problems.
VERIFY - generate the improvement solutions to fix the problems and prevent them from reoccurring so the required finance and other performance goals are met.
EXECUTE - this phase involves implementing the improved processes in a way that 'holds the gains'. Standards of operation will be documented in management systems and standards of performance established using techniques such as statistical process control.
REINFORCE - capitalize the improvement by 'learning the lessons' and establishing process re-assessment for continuous improvement.