how to state a problem to be acceptable

Have you ever had the experience of spending so much time solving a difficult problem by coming up with a creative and efficient solution, But no one understood how great your solution was and what its real value was. Or have you ever noticed that someone solves a small and worthless problem, but it seems valuable to others? What did you feel then? Show off!

In either case, the key point is how the problem is presented.

We may have heard famous sayings about how vital it is to understand the problem, such as:

·????????When the problem is not well understood, “solutions” only create new problems.

·????????As Albert Einstein might have said*, “Given one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and 5 minutes finding the solution.”

you can read about the effect of misunderstanding the problem here: How to be the worst product manager

Just as understanding the problem is vital to solving it, presenting the problem is vital to value the solution. Therefore, I want to propose a framework for expressing the problem before providing a solution. Note that this framework is an extension of 5W2H method based on my experiences.

Framework

the main purpose of this framework is to agree on the existence of the problem, its dimensions, its importance, and then the solution. After introducing the framework, two different presentations are suggested at the end of the text.

1.??????Explaining the problem

Explain the problem in both short and long versions. First, start with the short version which is just a sentence. Sometimes people want to know the summary and think that listening to the explanation is tedious and time-consuming. Make sure the short version does not misunderstand the problem. Then describe the problem in detail. If the explanation of the problem is long, you can read the short version again at the end.

Tip: If the problem is very big and all parts of the company are involved for a long time and have to work together to solve it, you can name the problem and state it here. The name of the problem may be related to a similar and popular event or phenomenon metaphorically. Naming a problem has two advantages, first, it is a sign of the importance of the problem, and second, it helps to align everyone in a tedious meeting about the problem.

2.??????How the problem is found

In general, there are two ways to be aware of a problem, to detect it from the inside or to be noticed by someone outside the company. In any case, it is better to articulate a short story about problem detection. It is better to give credit by appreciating the colleagues who identified the problem; you can ask your colleague to tell the story, in this way you show that the problem is raised by a team, not a person (yourself)

3.??????Give an example

Spending resources to solve a worthless problem is the worst thing for a manager, so people do not work together to solve such a problem unless they understand its true value. Providing real examples of the problem with some evidence value the problem, such as a screenshot of a support ticket, a Twitter post by an angry user, and so on.

4.??????Severity and priority

indicates the severity of the problem by data. for instance, how many customers had the same problem? how this problem affected the company’s KPIs such as revenue, customer satisfaction, number of support tickets, and et.

If this problem prevents a company from achieving its goal or distorts the roadmap, the priority of solving this problem is equal to the priority of achieving the goal of moving in the direction of the roadmap.

5.??????Proof by the witness

Ask the audience to share their experiences with similar problems. But you need to know who to point to. if you do not have enough time or you do not want them to be involved, nodding is enough when you mention them.

6.??????Warn others

Warn others that they may sooner or later face the same problem. Explain to them why you anticipate this

7.???????“Not Solving” strategy

"Doing nothing" is always on the table, and sometimes it's the first decision that comes to mind because it's easy. But it can be costly. So you have to explain the consequences and the cost of not making a decision or being late.

You can list KPIs or OKRs metrics that would be damaged because of “Doing nothing”.

8.??????Get a confirmation

Finally, ask all of them to agree on the existence, dimensions, severity, and potential impact of the problem.

9.??????Solving roadmap

Managers often expect those who have identified the problem to come up with a solution. Therefore, you should end the problem-solving session by suggesting a possible solution. So articulate the solution in these steps:

·????????Explain the solution

·????????Show the timeline and milestones (steps) for your solution’s implementation.

·????????Show the solution’s evaluation plan and metrics

ask others to criticize your solution or offer alternatives

Last Word:

In general, there are two ways to express a problem that can be chosen based on the characteristics of the provider, the position, the audience, and the culture of the company. formal and informal. Both can follow the framework but in a different order.