Problem Definition Worksheet

Before you solve anything, make sure you know what you're solving.

From Well, That Didn't Work — Drew Bruce | The Practical Thinker

1 What's the problem? (First attempt)

Write down the problem as you currently understand it, in one sentence.

2 Who says it's a problem?

Who is affected? Who cares? Whose perspective are you seeing it from?

3 What's actually happening vs. what should be happening?

Describe the gap between current state and desired state.

4 The 5 Whys

Ask 'why' five times to dig beneath the surface.

Why 1:
Why 2:
Why 3:
Why 4:
Why 5:
5 Reframe it

Now write the problem again — differently. Try at least two alternative framings.

Framing A:
Framing B:
6 The Outsider Test

If someone with no history walked in today, how would they describe this problem?

7 What constraints are real vs. assumed?

Real Constraints

Assumed Constraints

8 The problem I'm actually going to solve

Your final, refined problem statement.