Which activity is part of the Prepare phase of DEOCS?

• A. Data collection
• B. Stakeholder interviews
• C. Risk assessment
• D. Planning

Answer: (D)

In the Prepare phase, the focus is on getting the project ready and mapped out before any data work starts. This means defining the objectives, scope, roles, schedule, resources, and governance for the assessment, so there’s a clear blueprint for how everything will be carried out. Data collection comes after this groundwork, since you need the plan and instruments in place to gather reliable information. Stakeholder interviews often occur during the data-gathering or validation steps, and risk considerations are part of planning, but the explicit activity that embodies the Prepare phase is Planning.