problem-statement.md

Problem Statement

What is it?

A problem statement is a clear concise description of the issue that needs to be addressed by the team.

Why do you use it?

A problem statement helps the team establish a clear goal at the beginning, and keep them on track during the engagement. It can also beused to validate the delivered solution solves the stated problem.

When to use it?

It should be created in the Define phase, and could be used as a guide in later phases.

How to do it?

The problem statement should be short and simple, and focus on only one problem. It doesn't need to suggest any solutions. It could be constructed with the following aspects:

• Who is impacted?
• What are the negative impacts?
• Where does it happen?
• When/how often does it happen?
• Why is it important? (optional)

Example:

The problem of customers constantly smoking in our rooms affects other customers, who don’t appreciate the smoke and smell, and our housekeeping staff, who spend significantly more time cleaning smoking rooms versus nonsmoking ones, the impact of which is low customer satisfaction, reduced occupancy rates, and increased cleaning costs.

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References:

http://www.dummies.com/business/business-strategy/how-to-create-a-problem-statement-in-business-analysis/

https://www.slideshare.net/SantoshKumarSingh13/how-to-define-business-problem-statement

http://www.ceptara.com/blog/how-to-write-problem-statement