Here are the elements of the model:

The conventional way of thinking Scan means just what you’d imagine; looking about for different options, or to gather information in a broad sort of way. Scan also implies a vantage point of some sort from which to view. The original meaning of the word means to climb or mount. In the Scan phase we build conceptual, mental models

Focus implies choice. The majority of the opportunities presented by the scan are discarded in favor of only one or several, which are scrutinized and evaluated more rigorously. The models we build in Focus are more tangible expressions of the conceptual models we built in Scan. At length a decision is made and it's time to...

Act! This is the opportunity to see whether the models will pan out as they become viable systems in their own right. If discipline and imagination have been brought to the two preceding stages, this stage should be successful.

Feedback. The result of an experience is fed back as learning to the next iteration of the process. Feedback is termed positive if the desire is to grow the system, and called negative if homeostatic control, or goal-seeking is the object.

There is limited value in being stuck in any one of the stages. Even the greatest of concepts need to be modeled to be tested. And models at some point need to fly on their own in the real world to validate their worth.