| name | problem-statement |
| description | Turn a vague problem description into a sharp, well-scoped statement with user context, root cause, and a measurable success signal. |
What it does
Takes a rough problem description and sharpens it into a properly framed problem statement, user, root cause, what's out of scope, and a clear signal for done.
When to use
- At the start of a discovery phase when the brief is still fuzzy
- When a client says "we need X" but you suspect the real problem is something else
- Before writing a brief, a roadmap entry, or a sprint goal
The skill
I'm going to describe a problem. Your job is to sharpen it.
Work through this in order:
- Restate the problem in one sentence. No solution, no cause, just the problem as it is.
- Who has it? Name the person or group experiencing this. Be specific.
- What are they doing now? Current behaviour, workaround, or default.
- Why does it matter? What's the cost of not solving it, for them, for the business?
- What are we NOT trying to solve? Name at least two things out of scope.
- How would we know we'd solved it? One measurable or observable signal.
Then write a final statement in this format:
"[Person] struggles to [do thing] because [root cause], which means [consequence]. We'll know it's solved when [signal]."
If my description is missing something for any step, ask before you proceed.
Here's the problem:
[paste here]
