Understand
Every engagement starts here, because nothing else is safe to decide first.
The question this phase answers
What does this business actually depend on? Not what the org chart says, not what the last provider documented, but what actually happens: how work enters, where information lives, who approves what, which tools are used, where access is managed, and which risks are already visible.
What you receive
A current-state map of systems, tools, and access. The risks, described by their operational consequence. The constraints (contracts, dependencies, knowledge, cost) that shape what can change. A priority list that says what deserves attention first, and why.
What you decide with it
Whether to change anything at all, in what order, and with whom. The documents are written so an owner can make that call without translating from IT, and they stand on their own if someone else does the work after us.
What this looks like in practice
The most valuable finding is usually one nobody asked about: the invisible dependency, the access nobody remembers granting, the person who is single-handedly the integration between three systems. That is why this phase is never skipped, even when the client arrives sure of the answer.