Problem Statement

Problem Statement

Overview

A well-crafted problem statement aligns teams around what to solve before arguing about how to solve it. This skill guides you through writing evidence-based problem statements that frame the customer problem, its impact, and why it matters — without prescribing a solution.

When to Use

• Starting a new feature, product, or initiative
• Aligning cross-functional stakeholders on what to prioritize
• Writing a PRD or project brief
• Responding to a vague request ("We need to do something about X")
• Don't use for: execution work where the problem is already well-understood

Instructions

1. Gather Evidence

A problem statement is only as strong as its evidence. Collect:

• Qualitative: Customer interview quotes, support tickets, user feedback
• Quantitative: Usage data, funnel drop-offs, revenue impact, churn stats
• Context: Market trends, competitive moves, business goals

2. Write the Problem Statement

Use this template:

> [Who] has a problem [what/that]. This matters because [impact on user business]. We have evidence: [evidence summary]. Solving this would [desired outcome].

Example: > "Mid-market engineering teams have a problem staying aligned on project status across distributed teams. This matters because they spend 4+ hours/week in status meetings instead of building. We have evidence: 6/8 interview participants described status sync as their #1 time waste, and our analytics show 70% of daily active users check project boards for status updates. Solving this would reduce status overhead by 50% and increase time for feature work."

3. Validate the Statement

Check your problem statement against these criteria:

• No solution embedded: Does it describe WHAT not HOW? (Bad: "We need a chatbot" / Good: "Users struggle to find answers")
• Evidence-backed: Can you point to real data or interviews for each claim?
• Scoped: Is it specific enough to act on, broad enough to allow creative solutions?
• User-centered: Is the problem from the user's perspective, not the business's?

4. Get Stakeholder Buy-in

• Share with 3-5 stakeholders. Ask: "Does this match your understanding? What's missing?"
• Track disagreements — they reveal hidden assumptions
• Iterate until people say "Yes, that's exactly the problem" not "Yes, and here's how to solve it"

Sample Output

Good: > "First-time managers at scaling startups have a problem tracking their team's progress without micromanaging. This matters because they spend 30% of their week checking in on work, and their teams report feeling distrusted. We have evidence: 8 manager interviews showed 7/8 use spreadsheets as their 'real tracker' despite having project management tools. Solving this would reduce manager overhead by 10 hours/week and improve team autonomy scores."

Bad (contains solution): > "We need to build a lightweight status reporting tool for managers." (This defines the solution, not the problem)

Common Pitfalls

1. Writing a solution, not a problem — If your statement mentions a specific feature, rewrite it
2. Vague and unbounded — "Users need a better experience" tells no one anything
3. No evidence — Without data, it's an opinion. With evidence, it's a case
4. Too broad — "World hunger" is a problem. "Low-income families can't access fresh produce within 1 mile" is a problem statement
5. Stakeholder by committee — If 10 people edit it, it'll be bland. Own the statement, seek input

Verification Checklist

• [ ] Problem statement uses [Who] has a problem [what]. Evidence: [data]. Outcome: [goal].
• [ ] No solution is embedded in the statement
• [ ] At least 2 sources of evidence cited (qual + quant preferred)
• [ ] Statement is testable — you can validate whether you solved it
• [ ] Stakeholders reviewed and aligned

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: uthumany
• Source: uthumany/uthy-legacy-os
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://uthumany.github.io/uthy-legacy-os/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.