So What's Your Problem, Anyway? How to Accurately Identify Your Problem So You Can Start Solving It.
If you've been assigned a strategic challenge or are beginning to tackle a complex initiative, a great place to start is by developing a problem statement or strategic framework.
Taking the time to clearly define the problem will help you focus your time and resources, communicate more effectively with others, and identify the root causes so you can explore creative solutions.
Framing the right problem is essential, but it can be challenging. We often bring too much into the frame or make it too focused, neglecting critical factors, key stakeholders, and the context that can help us think bigger.
That's why it's important to invest time in developing a clear and concise problem statement. It's the first and most critical step in taking a strategic mindset and solving complex problems.
Framing Your Problem Statement
Framing your problem statement provides a view that can be compared to climbing to the top of a mountain. From the top, the clouds clear, and you can see the rivers, valleys, fields, and pastures below. With this perspective, you can clearly identify your destination and you have some idea of the landscape you need to navigate and the obstacles you must consider to arrive there safely.
Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, when we define our challenge, we can’t climb that mountain. Instead, we focus on the obvious and we instead describe the presenting problem, which is usually not the problem statement.
The presenting problem is what usually ends up in the first round of framing your problem statement. It's often more of a description of symptoms than an explanation of the actual problem. Stopping at the presenting problem can shortcut our thinking and limit our opportunities to come up with the right solutions. Presenting problems include assumptions that can shortcut our thinking and reinforce underlying assumptions.
It can be difficult to recognize that the presenting problem isn't the actual problem at all because it seems obvious and uses language that everyone has been using to describe the issue. Everyone nods that they understand the problem and seem ready to work on it.
What Makes a Good Problem Statement?
An effective problem statement articulates:
What the problem is
Why the problem is important to solve
Who benefits from solving the problem
How solving the problem will impact those stakeholders
So if articulating the specific strategic challenge is so challenging, what can help?
Use Frameworks to Fully Flesh Out and Identify the Challenge
If you want to zone in on the root cause problem or challenge you are going to work to solve, try some of these approaches:
Use a Strategic Challenge Framework. This framework is a good starting point to define even the most complex problem. It invites you to describe the issue, but also requires you to consider the impact of the issue, identify the context and complicating factors of the issue, and consider the role that the problem plays with your stakeholders. Finally, it forces you to identify what success looks like.
Leverage The Five Whys. The Five Whys invite you to relentlessly ask why when a problem statement seems finished. The Five Whys help you fully appreciate the potential for impact in solving the problem; challenge whether you are limiting your scope; and help you narrow in on the specific aspect of the problem and impact, providing more clarity and focus to define the problem/challenge statement.
Right-size the problem statement by widening your stakeholder list. Different types of problems vary in complexity. Complex problems require breaking down into smaller problems or smaller issues. If you are having difficulty developing a concise problem statement, it may mean that you need to break it down into organized subsections that can be worked on individually.
Simplify multi-layered complex challenges with an Issue Tree or a Fishbone Diagram. Many worthy problems are complex and include multiple causes and hidden potential impacts. Taking the time to break down a problem statement, identifying all you can about the problem, helps de-clutter your thinking, reserving and cordoning off one key issue at a time. This step can also help prevent you from over-simplifying the issue, helping you fully appreciate the complexity of a multi-layered, high-impact issue you may be working to solve.
Iterate repeatedly as you refine your problem statement. Every strategic and analytical framework is designed to bring clarity to complexity. When you are framing your challenge, expect to bounce around. Make a change in one place or add an aspect to another section, and you can bet you'll identify new areas you need to acknowledge or address. Take the time to get it all on paper and move between multiple sections as you uncover and discover other aspects of the problem that should be acknowledged.
Refine Till it Shines!
Nailing down the right problem statement is like reaching the peak of a mountain. And when the clouds part, you get that full panoramic view of the landscape and know where to go and how to get there. But it can be trickier than it sounds. A good problem statement explains what the problem is, why it's worth solving, who benefits, and how it impacts those involved.
And bringing in different tools and other perspectives can help you dig into complex problems, encourage you to keep digging to get to the core of the issue. And don't forget, it's okay to tweak, refine and fine-tune your problem statement until you have a clear sense of where you are going and what success looks like once you’ve arrived.
Happy problem-solving!