Problem Tree / Solution Tree
Analysis
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A problem tree provides an overview of all the known causes and effect to an identified
problem. This is important in planning a community engagement or behaviour change
project as it establishes the context in which a project is to occur. Understanding the
context helps reveal the complexity of life and this is essential in planning a successful
change project.
A problem tree involves writing causes in a negative form (eg. lack of knowledge, not
enough money etc). Reversing the problem tree, by replacing negative statements with
positive ones, creates a solution tree. A solution tree identifies means-end relationships
as opposed to cause-effects. This provides an overview of the range of projects or
interventions that need to occur to solve the core problem.
A problem tree analysis:
Helps the planning of a project
Provides a guide as to the complexity of a problem by identifying the multiple
causes
Identifies particular lines of intervention and other factors that may need to be
tackled with complementary projects
Provides an outline of the project plan, inlcuding the activities that need to be
undertaken, the goal and the outcomes of the project.
A problem tree provides a means to help you select what behaviours you may want to
target in your project. In this way, a problem tree links in with the selection of
behaviours step in Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM).
Conducting a problem tree/solution tree analysis provides a means to review the
existing understanding of the causes to a specific problem and how it can be overcome.
A problem tree will likely reveal multiple branches (cause & effect relationships) leading
to the core problem. This is very valuable as it identifies factors that may not be
addressed by the planned intervention. For example, existing regulations may be a
factor in the problem, but this may not be impacted upon by the planned intervention.
This may result in the failure to achieve project objectives. It could be that impacting
upon regulation is not achievable and thus out of scope for the project. If this is the
case, then the evaluators need to account for this when the intervention is evaluated.
Image: Developing a problem tree for the Gannawarra project
HOW TO GUIDE
A problem tree is best completed with the project proponent and other stakeholders
present. The stakeholder analysis and literature review (if available) should also
inform the development of a problem tree.
Requirements
The right people- this may include the project designer(s), the implementation
team, and other relevant stakeholders
Ideally, half-a-day or more depending on the complexity of the problem, and
number of stakeholders
A wall, whiteboard, or large sheets of butcher’s
'Post-it' notes or similar, or specialised software such as DoView or MS Visio
A facilitator
The final product can be transferred into an electronic format using specialised
software, or alternatively into MS Word or Excel
A short tutorial presentation on problem trees is available here.
Step 1. Settle on the core problem
The first step in developing the problem tree is to identify the problem that the project
seeks to overcome. It may be worth debating what the core problem is with
stakeholder representatives. Ideally projects should have a specific problem (eg. saving
water inside the home) that they seek to overcome if change is to occur. A vague or
broad problem (eg. saving water) will have too many causes for an effective and
meaningful project to be developed.
The core problem is written down in the middle of the paper, or on a sticky-note that is
placed in the middle of a wall. Things to help define the core problem include lessons
from previous projects, the stakeholder analysis, and other research. If there seems to
be more than one core problem, it may be best to develop a problem tree for each one.
Step 2. Identify the causes and effects
Once the core problem has been identified, participants should consider what the direct
causes and effects of the problem are. Each cause statement needs to be written in
negative terms. There are a couple of ways to undertake this. Participants can either
collectively brainstorm all the negative statements about the problem at hand, and a
facilitator writes each negative statement down on a piece of paper. The statements
would then be placed on a wall, for the participants to analyse and reorder.
Alternatively, participants could work through the cause and effect on a sequential
basis, starting from the core problem. The immediate causes to the problem are placed
in a line below that of the core problem. The immediate effect is placed above the
problem. Any further or subsequent effects are placed above the line of immediate
effects.
Developing the linear cause-effect relationship for a problem tree
Developing the linear cause-effect relationship for a problem tree
Participants need to continue to repeat the process on further horizontal lines until they
are no longer able to identify any further underlying causes.
It is important to review the sequence of cause and effects to make sure that they are
clear and make logical sense (eg. does this lead to that, or is there a missing step, and
is this the effect of that happening). It is important to ensure that there is agreement
among the participants. If there is more than one cause to an effect, you can place
these side by side.
Once the order or placement of all the cause and effect relationships is agreed, they
can be linked with vertical lines. Horizontal lines can be used to join related causes or
effects. The result is a problem tree which outlines the cause and effect relationship
between the different levels.
Example Problem Tree
Step 3. Develop a solution tree
A solution (also called objectives) tree is developed by reversing the negative
statements that form the problem tree into positive ones. For example, a cause
(problem tree) such as “lack of knowledge” would become a means such as “increased
knowledge”. The objectives tree demonstrates the means-end relationship between
objectives.
It is advisable to go through the solution tree and check to see if all the statements are
clear, and if there are any missing steps between a means and an end. If so, you may
need to revise both the problem and solution trees by adding more statements.
Example Solution Tree
Step 4. Select the preferred intervention
The final step is to select a preferred strategy for the intervention. This step is designed
to allow the project design team to select and focus an intervention on a preferred
strategy. The solution tree may present a number of separate or linked interventions to
solve a problem. Depending on project funding, time, and relevance, a planned
intervention may not be able to tackle all the causes. However, it if all the causes
cannot be overcome by a project, or complementary projects, it is important to identify
if any of the branches are more influential than others in solving a problem. For
example, if existing regulations are found to be a dominant factor, but this is not
tackled by the project, this would need to be taken into account in the evaluation of the
intervention.
Once you have selected your preferred line of intervention, the core problem/solution is
your immediate objective or outcome. The branches below are the activities that you
need to undertake, and the branches above become the longer term outcomes.
You can now look at using this information to develop a logframe matrix, which
provides a summary of your project logic and monitoring plan in one, or you can
develop a program logic and a seperate monitoring and evaluation plan.
Further Links & Resources
Case study on conducting a problem tree analysis
Case study on using the Logical Framework Approach (LFA includes the use of problem
tree / solution tree. You will see more examples here.)
Problem tree resources from the The Office of International Development (UK)