How to Write an Effective Problem

Statement
Published: April 9, 2018 by Rod Morgan

Continuous improvement specialists are challenged to solve problems for their

organizations or clients. They have acquired a wide array of tools, methods and
techniques for that purpose.

If continuous improvement practitioners are able to establish the winning

conditions for change, they can look forward to successful outcomes. However,
the devil is in the details, making continuous improvement jobs interesting and
challenging.

One of those “little devils” that often gets overlooked is the need to construct
an effective problem statement at the start of any improvement project.

What Is a Problem Statement?

Adapted from an article by Alan Bryman in the International Journal of Social

Research Methodology: A problem is a statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling
question that exists in theory or in practice that points to the need for
meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation.

Why Is It So Hard to Write an Effective Problem Statement?

One of the challenges in writing a great problem statement is the distractions

that can come from a variety of sources.

 Symptoms associated with the problem add to the confusion when

trying to describe a problem. For example, arriving at the physician’s
office and stating, “Doctor, I am experiencing pain in the back of my
thigh down to the lower part of my leg! I need you to ‘fix’ my leg!” It is
 only after a thoughtful evaluation that the doctor concludes that your
problem lies with your sciatic nerve and originates in your lower back.
 Solutions are often an early consideration when wrestling with a
problem. When one is faced with a problem, alleviating that pain as
quickly as possible is a natural, almost reflexive, action. It is, however,
extremely important to avoid jumping to solutions until a profound
understanding of the current state is achieved.
 The search for causes of your pain is a natural reaction that also needs
to be avoided when first describing a problem. Establishing root cause
will be a part of the ensuing investigative procedure but should be
reserved for the appropriate time in the lifecycle of the problem-solving
method.
 Blame is also a natural reflex when one is afflicted with a problem. A
quote attributed to John Burroughs, American naturalist and nature
essayist, may be all that needs to be said on this subject: “You can get
discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to
blame somebody else and stop trying.”

In short, a great problem statement must be free of causes, solutions and

blame, and careful consideration must be given to ensure symptoms do not
become a distraction.

What Is in a Problem Statement?

A problem statement should describe an undesirable gap between the current-

state level of performance and the desired future-state level of performance. A
problem statement should include absolute or relative measures of the
problem that quantify that gap, but should not include possible causes or
solutions!

Key elements of an effective problem statement include:

 Gap: Identify the gap (pain) that exists today.

 Timeframe, location and trend: Describe when and where the problem
was first observed and what kind of trend it is following.
 Impact: Quantify the gap (cost, time, quality, environmental, personal,
etc.)
  Importance: To the organization, the individual, etc. to better
understand the urgency.

What Method Can I Employ to Author a Great Problem Statement?

The ability to articulate an effective problem statement is not simply a business

skill – it is a life skill. How can children, youth and adults begin to solve
problems if they haven’t been able to adequately describe them? This holds
true for continuous improvement specialists.

The 5W2H (what, when, where, why, who, how, how much) method is
deceptively simple. Ask the right questions in the right order and let the
answers lead you to a great problem statement.

Example of Developing a Problem Statement

Let’s walk through the 5W2H method for manufacturing and call
center examples.

Question 1: What is the problem that needs to be solved?

 Manufacturer: Window frames and parts are ending up in the assembly

department missing required weep holes or slots.
 Call center: The assessment call is too complex, time consuming and
administratively heavy, resulting in a diminished experience for the client
as well as the staff member performing the work.

Question 2: Why is it a problem? (highlight the pain)

 Manufacturer: If identified (visual inspection), the affected parts must

be sent back for rework, thereby increasing the overall cost of
manufacturing, creating higher inventory levels (WIP) and increasing risk
since some of the defects may not be detected until later in the process,
or worse, they may end up being incorrectly shipped to the job sites.
 Call center: This results in higher variability and length of call handling
time, clients having to repeat their “story” as the move through the
assessment and downstream case worker (meeting) process, clients
providing more information than may be required, increased workload
for the assessment worker and increased wait times in the (telephone)
queue. The overall impact is reduced service levels as well as diminished
client and assessment worker experience.

Question 3: Where is the problem observed? (location, products)

  Manufacturer: This problem is observed in the assembly department,
downstream departments as well as ultimately in the field with customer
complaints and costly field repairs and replacements.
 Call center: This problem is observed in all assessment calls but will vary
in magnitude depending on the client (needs and circumstance),
assessment worker (experience) and other factors that contribute to
variation in the handling of assessment calls.

Question 4: Who is impacted? (customers, businesses, departments)

 Manufacturer: This problem affects the assembly department that is

tasked with trying to inspect for the error and react
accordingly, rework occurring in the department/work cell responsible
for weep holes and slots, the company as a whole in terms of cost, brand
and reputation, and, most importantly, the customer who is affected by
this problem if it makes it to the field.
 Call center: This affects the client associated with the call, clients waiting
in the queue, client’s families, and the organization and employers in the
community being served.

Question 5: When was the problem first observed?

 Manufacturer: This has been an ongoing issue going back as far as

memory serves in the long-term employees, but with increased volume
and more customization and higher complexity in design, the impact
and severity of this problem has increased rapidly over the last two
years.
 Call center: This is a latent problem that has always existed but has
become more evident with recent changes, including changes in
funding, legislation, demand for services, client demographics and
recent integration efforts in the organization as part of their ongoing
commitment to continuous improvement of service pathways and client
experience.

Question 6: How is the problem observed? (symptoms)

 Manufacturer: Customer (in-field installation and service) complaints,

increased warranty costs, manufacturing non-conformance reports
(NCR), complaints from assembly department team and increased costs
in fabrication.
 Call center: This problem is observed in the variation in call-handling
times, wait times in the telephone queue, call abandon rates, increased
 stress in front-line staff (workload and client anxiety/dissatisfaction) and
ambiguity in call handling protocols.

Question 7: How often is the problem observed? (error rate, magnitude, trend)

 Manufacturer: There is an observed 62,000 parts per million (PPM) for

this specific defect, taking into consideration rework completed in-house
and observed defects in the field. The PPM is derived from the number
of weeping holes and slots required per unit assembly versus the actual
number of deficiencies overall observed for the same number of units.
 Call center: This is a daily operational occurrence but increases in call
complexity related to changes in the knowledge base – multiple
programs and changes in the environment (client demographics and
needs/circumstances, legislation, etc.) – have resulted in an increase in
severity and stress on the system.

Your Turn!

Think of a problem you have encountered in your personal or professional life,

or a problem you are currently tasked to solve. Employ the preceding method
of asking seven simple questions and see where it takes you.