A problem statement describes an issue or condition that needs to be addressed and improved. A problem statement clearly describes the issue and identifies gaps between the problem and the desired solution. Businesses and other organizations write problem statements to understand problems, better gain support for new ideas, and collaborate on solutions. Here’s how to write a problem statement that helps you achieve your desired outcome, as well as problem statement examples for added inspiration.
A Problem Statement is the First Step Toward a Solution
Problem statements serve two primary purposes:
- Accurately identify the problem.
- Correctly communicate the problem.
You can’t find an effective solution until you know the problem, so writing a problem statement can help you accurately identify what’s wrong with the current situation at hand. Clear communication helps others understand the problem which is critical for securing stakeholder approval and focusing on the goal during projects designed to improve a product, process, procedure, or strategy.
A good problem statement is:
- Objective: A problem statement should stick to verifiable facts and avoid assumptions.
- Focused: Problem statements state problems; they don’t propose solutions. You don’t want preconceived notions to stifle creativity.
- Collaborative: Thoughtful feedback from end-users, managers, and stakeholders helps identify the core causes of the problem.
How to Write a Problem Statement
There are different ways to structure a problem statement. Some leaders write singe line problem statements, while others write multiple paragraphs. One popular problem statement template is organized into four sections: Ideal, Reality, Consequences, and Proposal.
- Ideal: Concisely states the desired outcome; in other words, how things should be once a solution is implemented.
- Reality: Identifies the problem as your current reality. The Reality section discusses what the problem is and who it affects.
- Consequences: Details the problem’s impact on the organization, end-users, and stakeholders. This is where you list the adverse effects of leaving the problem unresolved.
- Proposal: Proposes a strategy to find a solution. For example, designating a team to research potential solutions.
Here’s a step-by-step process you can follow to write a problem statement.
1. Determine the Problem
Carefully research the problem so you understand it at its core. Don’t make assumptions that could cost time and money and lead to inefficient solutions. Here are some tips:
Collaborate
Speak with end-users, stakeholders, and anyone else affected by the problem to learn more about the issue. Understand the problem and pain points from their perspectives. It’s helpful to have an impacted person in mind when you write your problem statement.
Use the 5W2H Approach
Get granular details by asking the 5W2H’s: what, why, where, who, when, how, and how often. For example:
- What is the problem?
- Why is it a problem?
- Where does the problem occur?
- Who is affected?
- When does the problem occur?
- How does the problem happen?
- How often does the problem occur?
The 5W2H approach can help you identify gaps between your current problem and the ideal situation.
Ask the 5 Whys
Sometimes, it’s easy to recognize symptoms but not the root problem. Asking the 5 Whys can help you drill down to the issue that needs to be resolved. For example:
Problem: We’re getting poor reviews for customer service
- Why? Customers are submitting 1- and 2-star reviews.
- Why? Customers are frustrated with long support wait times.
- Why? We have a backlog of support requests.
- Why? Our agents can’t keep up with incoming requests.
- Why? Our email support system is inefficient.
In this example, you can see how asking the 5 Whys can help you work from a symptom to discovering a core issue for your problem statement.
2. Quantify the Consequences
Quantify the consequences of leaving the problem unresolved. Consequences might include wasted costs, lost revenue, dissatisfied customers, or anything else that has a negative impact. For example:
- 90% of negative reviews cite slow support response.
- Our average rating has dropped from 4.9 stars to 3.5 stars, making higher-rating competitors more attractive.
- As our company has grown, our average support response time has increased from 4 hours to 24 hours.
- Our agents spend 500 hours annually searching through support emails, wasting $10,000 in payroll expenses (500 hours X $20/hour average wage).
Measurable figures like these back up your claims, which can help you earn support and stakeholder buy-in for your ideas.
3. Research the Desired Outcomes
It’s as dangerous to make assumptions about the ideal situation as it is to assume you know the root of the problem, so speak with end-users and stakeholders to find out how they think things should work. This isn’t the same as proposing a solution, rather, it’s describing the desired outcome, no matter what the solution ends up being. For example:
Customers should receive a support response within 2 hours of submitting a request.
Clearly defining the problem and the ideal situation in your problem statement helps get everyone on the same page so you can focus on finding an effective solution.
4. Identify Next Steps
The Proposal is the last section of your problem statement if you use the template above. This is where you’ll recommend the next steps toward resolving the problem.
Outline a framework for investigating the problem and its root cause, then research and vet potential solutions and their projected impacts. For example:
Designate our IT department to research and evaluate possible solutions for improving or replacing our email support system to reduce response times.
5. Draft and Iterate
You don’t need to write the perfect problem statement on your first try. It’s often best to get started with what you know now, then consult others and iterate until your problem statement is ready to share with decision-makers.
Problem Statement Examples
Here are three example problem statements you can use as templates to write your own.
Problem Statement Example 1: Customer Service
Ideal
Our customers should receive a support response within 2 hours of submitting a request.
Reality
Currently, our support team struggles to keep up with requests due to an inefficient email system. Requests are disorganized, and agents spend considerable time searching through previous emails to support users. Some legitimate support requests end up in spam. This is a problem because agents are spending too much time navigating the system, our customers are waiting too long to receive support, we’re wasting money and we’re receiving poor reviews.
Consequences
- 90% of negative reviews cite slow support response.
- Our average rating has dropped from 4.9 stars to 3.5 stars, making higher-rating competitors more attractive.
- As our company has grown, our average support response time has increased from 4 hours to 24 hours.
- Our agents spend 500 hours annually searching through support emails, wasting $10,000 in payroll expenses (500 hours X $20/hour average wage).
Proposal
Designate our IT department to research and evaluate potential solutions for improving or replacing our email support system to reduce response times.
Problem Statement Example 2: Education
Ideal
Parents should be able to access student school schedules online.
Reality
Our school does not have an online portal for parents to view student schedules. This results in many phone calls to the school office and wasted time administrative staff must spend looking up and releasing schedules. That is a problem because it has created a productivity bottleneck, and staff is falling behind on other administrative duties.
Consequences
- Administrative staff members spend 200 hours per year looking up student schedules for parents, resulting in $4,000 in annual waste (200 hours X $20/hour).
- Parents are frustrated because they can’t look up student schedules on their own.
- Staff is falling behind on other administrative duties, potentially resulting in the need for expensive overtime.
Proposal
Administrative staff should work with the IT department to investigate the feasibility and costs of placing student schedules online.
Problem Statement Example 3: Healthcare
Ideal
Family members should be able to communicate with nonverbal patients remotely.
Reality
Family members of nonverbal patients have no way to contact their loved ones during our living center’s restricted visitation hours. Though each room is equipped with a landline phone, many nonverbal, Alzheimer’s and developmentally disabled patients cannot use traditional telephones. This is a problem because it prevents family members from checking in, leading to anxiety, frustration, and questions about the quality of care their loved ones are receiving.
Consequences
- Staff field an average of 80 phone calls per month from family members frustrated that they can’t reach their loved ones.
- At an average of 5 minutes per phone call, that amounts to 6.67 hours spent per month at a cost of $2,001 per year (6.67 hours X 12 months X $25/hour).
- Staff loses 6.67 hours per month of patient interaction fielding these phone calls.
- Two competing facilities have in-room video devices that facilitate remote communication between nonverbal patients and their family members.
Proposal
“We should form a committee to explore remote communication options, costs, and risks (with special considerations for privacy laws and HIPAA compliance) for our nonverbal and other patients.”
Writing an effective problem statement helps you accurately identify and communicate an issue so you can focus on finding a successful solution. It’s often a collaborative process that requires a deep dive into the root problem plus feedback from end-users and stakeholders. Rather than suggest solutions, a problem statement should inspire creativity that yields multiple options to explore. Follow the process outlined above and use the provided examples to write a problem statement that serves as a foundation for developing a winning solution.