| name | 021-problem-framing |
| description | Use when a problem or issue needs explicit framing before deeper analysis begins — establishing the Problem statement, Current state, Desired state, Stakeholders, and Success criteria. This should trigger when an issue's Problem Framing point of view needs evaluation, or when a maintainer directly asks to frame a problem before root-cause analysis, design, or planning begins. Part of Plinth Toolkit |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| metadata | {"author":"Juan Antonio Breña Moral","version":"0.18.0"} |
Problem Framing
Guide production of a Problem statement, Current state, Desired state, Stakeholders, and Success criteria for a problem or issue under exploration. This is an interactive SKILL.
What is covered in this Skill?
- Stating the problem independently of any specific solution
- Describing the current state using observable facts
- Describing the desired state as an outcome, not an implementation mechanism
- Identifying stakeholders affected by, accountable for, or informed about the problem
- Defining success criteria that make problem resolution verifiable
- Feeding a clarified problem frame into
022-root-cause-analysis and the remaining Functional Specification lenses
Constraints
Frame the problem before any deeper analysis. When this technique is orchestrated by another workflow, the orchestrator owns clarifying-question sequencing; when applied standalone, ask directly.
- MUST read
references/021-problem-framing.md before applying Problem Framing guidance
- MUST state the problem independently of any specific solution, technology, or implementation
- MUST describe the current state using observable facts, not opinions or assumed causes
- MUST describe the desired state as an outcome or capability, not a specific mechanism
- MUST identify stakeholders affected by, accountable for, or informed about the problem, not only the requester
- MUST define success criteria that are observable or measurable
- MUST NOT invent a problem statement, state, stakeholder, or success criterion when the available content is vague or ambiguous; flag the gap for a clarifying question instead
When to use this skill
- Frame this problem before deeper analysis
- Apply problem framing to this issue
- Establish the problem statement, current state, and desired state
- Identify stakeholders and success criteria for this problem
- Draft the Problem Framing section of a Functional Specification
Workflow
- Read the Reference
Read references/021-problem-framing.md, then identify what evidence is already available for the problem statement, current state, desired state, stakeholders, and success criteria.
- Separate the Problem from any Solution
Strip out wording that already assumes a fix, technology, or implementation, and restate the gap in observable terms.
- Describe Current and Desired State
Describe the current state as observable facts and the desired state as a target outcome or capability.
- Identify Stakeholders and Success Criteria
List stakeholders affected by, accountable for, or informed about the problem, then define observable or measurable success criteria.
- Report the Problem Frame
Report the Problem statement, Current state, Desired state, Stakeholders, and Success criteria, and flag any field left open pending a clarifying answer.
Reference
For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see references/021-problem-framing.md.
