In this step, build a simple functional behavioral model of your algorithm in the language of your choosing (MATLAB, Python, C++, etc.). This model can be used to understand the algorithm workload, sequence of operations, and data flow. It can also be used to produce golden I/O vectors to verify final implementation.
Algorithm and system requirements will then need to be collected and compared against device capabilities. You can use Excel spreadsheets to collect and analyze this data to help conceptualize the problem and understand its dimensions.