Problem framing

Finding the right problem

• solving the root cause of the right problem than makes the symptom (usually what people perceive to be the problem) disappear
• Focus on JTBD 1
• "Framing is the process of breaking down a problem into a set of choices, trade offs, and options that enable a team to make a call and move forward." - Shishir Mehrotra
• Good framing helps produce "decisions that stick."
• https://coda.io/@shishir/eigenquestions-the-art-of-framing-problems/eigenquestions-3 help with this
• Usually followed by a "How might we ... ?" question
  • would be nice to add also a second one to it "At what cost?" to balance out the ethical aspect
  • it is a dance between curiosity (how might we) and criticality (at what cost)

Rest

• YOUR NEW USER IS THE DECISION MAKERs
• YOUR NEW USER JOURNEY IS THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS
• assumptions mapping is a tool how to mitigate different stakeholder perspectives or views
  • assumptions are fine but mark them as assumptions - I'd rather know that assumptions are assumptions then being tricked by them later
• "for every 45 mins of a workshop I have a 45 minutes working out who should be there - the key is to identify the right people to have in the room" - Angela Arnold
• **the goal is get everyone on the same page
• two halves
  • business half
  • user half
• the business wants to get to the outcome but only can see the output, our role is to help them see beyond outputs
• Decisions are made and tracked somewhere else
  • don't mix decision making and tracking
• Problem statement roughly corresponds to the epic
  • epic title should not be vague but way more specific
  • the problem describes the shift in customer behavior
• The goal of problem framing is not what to do, but what not to do and to remove the distraction from the most efficient thing to do
• Storytelling gives problem a life and sustains it
• 5 Ws:
  • What
    • What is the focus of the problem?
    • What supporting evidence is there about this problem?
  • Who
    • Who is affected by the problem?
    • How do we know?
    • How are their voices present in the problem statement?
  • Where
    • Where does this problem occur?
    • How does the context of the problem impact its expression?
  • When
    • When does the problem occur - and what is the timeframe in which it has developed?
  • Why
    • Why is this problem worth addressing?
    • What impact will addressing it have?

"Pre-framing" a problem

• what if we want to frame a problem we don't have enough information about?
  • then we can talk about framing a research plan and objectives