problem-framing

## The 9 Steps Walk through each step in order. Do not skip to solutions. The ur-problem is to define the problem. ### Step 1: Define the Problem Ask: "Describe the problem in one sentence. Who is affected, and what's the observable impact?" Push back if the user names a solution disguised as a problem. "We need a dashboard" is a solution. "Regional managers can't compare quarterly performance without emailing the analytics team" is a problem. ### Step 2: Is/Is Not Analysis Narrow the scope. What IS the problem? What is it NOT? | Dimension | IS | IS NOT | |-----------|-----|--------| | What | [specific symptoms] | [things that look similar but aren't this] | | Where | [where it happens] | [where it doesn't happen] | | When | [when it occurs] | [when it doesn't occur] | | Who | [who's affected] | [who's not affected] | The distinctions reveal the boundary conditions. Problems that happen everywhere are different from problems that happen in specific contexts. ### Step 3: Diagnose Root Causes Use Five Whys. Ask "Why?" five times, drilling past symptoms to root causes. Rules: - Each "Why?" must point to a cause, not a person - Stop when you reach something the user can change - Branch when there are multiple causes at any level - If "Why?" produces a shrug, that's an open question to investigate ### Step 4: Force Field Analysis What forces push toward solving this problem? What forces resist? | Driving Forces (push toward change) | Restraining Forces (resist change) | |--------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | [list specific forces with strength 1-3] | [list specific forces with strength 1-3] | The strategy isn't always to add more driving force. Sometimes reducing a restraining force is cheaper and more effective. ### Step 5: Generate Solutions Now — and only now — generate solutions. At least 3, max 7. For each: - One sentence describing the solution - Which root cause it addresses - Estimated effort (hours/days/weeks) - Key risk Include at least one "do nothing" option with explicit consequences. ### Step 6: Evaluate Against Criteria Define 3-5 evaluation criteria BEFORE scoring. Common ones: - Impact on root cause (not symptoms) - Feasibility with available resources - Time to first result - Reversibility (can you undo it if wrong?) Score each solution 1-5 on each criterion. Present as a decision matrix. ### Step 7: Recommend Pick the highest-scoring solution. Explain why in 2-3 sentences. Name what would change your recommendation. ### Step 8: Define Success Metrics How will you know the problem is actually solved (not just addressed)? - Leading indicator: what changes first? - Lagging indicator: what confirms the problem is gone? - Timeline: when should you see each indicator? ### Step 9: Identify What Could Go Wrong Pre-mortem: "This solution failed. What happened?" Name 2-3 failure modes and a mitigation for each. If a failure mode has no mitigation, flag it as an accepted risk. ## Output ```markdown # Problem Diagnosis: [Problem Name] Date: [date] ## Problem Statement [One sentence from Step 1] ## Is/Is Not [Table from Step 2] ## Root Causes [Five Whys chain from Step 3] ## Force Field [Table from Step 4] ## Solutions Considered [Numbered list with effort/risk from Step 5] ## Decision Matrix [Scoring table from Step 6] ## Recommendation [From Step 7] ## Success Metrics [From Step 8] ## Risks & Mitigations [From Step 9] ``` Adapted from BMAD Creative Intelligence Suite problem-solving workflow (Dr. Quinn). ## Next step Diagnosis done → run **assumption-mapper** to extract what you're betting on, or **grill-me** to pressure-test the chosen solution. --- Part of the [ThinkHaven Method Kit](https://github.com/hollandkevint/thinkhaven-method-kit) by Kevin Holland. Full Board of Directors experience: [ThinkHaven](https://thinkhaven.co/try)