Example problem statement 1: the status quo problem statement
Example:
The average customer service on-hold time for Example company exceeds five minutes
during both its busy and slow seasons.
This can be used to describe a current pain point within an organization that may need to be
addressed. Note that the statement specifies that the issue occurs during the company’s slow
time as well as the busy season. This is helpful in performing the root cause analysis and
determining how this problem can be solved.
Problem:
The average customer service on-hold time for Example company exceeds five minutes
during both its busy and slow seasons. The company is currently understaffed and customer
service representatives are overwhelmed.
Background:
Example company is facing a significant challenge in managing their customer service on-
hold times. In the past, the company had been known for its efficient and timely customer
service, but due to a combination of factors, including understaffing and increased customer
demand, the on-hold times have exceeded five minutes consistently. This has resulted in
frustration and dissatisfaction among customers, negatively impacting the company's
reputation and customer loyalty.
Relevance:
Reducing the on-hold times for customer service callers is crucial for Example company.
Prolonged waiting times have a detrimental effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty,
leading to potential customer churn and loss of revenue. Additionally, the company's
declining reputation in terms of customer service can have a lasting impact on its competitive
position in the market. Addressing this problem is of utmost importance to improve customer
experience and maintain a positive brand image.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this project is to reduce the on-hold times for customer service
callers at Example company. The specific objectives include:
Analyzing the current customer service workflow and identifying bottlenecks contributing to
increased on-hold times.
Assessing the staffing levels and resource allocation to determine the extent of understaffing
and its impact on customer service.
Developing strategies and implementing measures to optimize the customer service workflow
and reduce on-hold times.
Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented measures through key
performance indicators (KPIs) such as average on-hold time, customer satisfaction ratings,
and customer feedback.
Establishing a sustainable approach to maintain reduced on-hold times, taking into account
both busy and slow seasons, through proper resource planning, training, and process
improvements.
Problem statement example
Step 1: Contextualize the problem
A family-owned shoe manufacturer has been in business in New England for several
generations, employing thousands of local workers in a variety of roles, from assembly to
supply-chain to customer service and retail. Employee tenure in the past always had an
upward trend, with the average employee staying at the company for 10+ years. However, in
the past decade, the trend has reversed, with some employees lasting only a few months, and
others leaving abruptly after many years.
Step 2: Show why it matters
As the perceived loyalty of their employees has long been a source of pride for the company,
they employed an outside consultant firm to see why there was so much turnover. The firm
focused on the new hires, concluding that a rival shoe company located in the next town
offered higher hourly wages and better “perks”, such as pizza parties. They claimed this was
what was leading employees to switch. However, to gain a fuller understanding of why the
turnover persists even after the consultant study, in-depth qualitative research focused on
long-term employees is also needed. Focusing on why established workers leave can help
develop a more telling reason why turnover is so high, rather than just due to salaries. It can
also potentially identify points of change or conflict in the company’s culture that may cause
workers to leave.
Step 3: Set your aims and objectives
This project aims to better understand why established workers choose to leave the company.
Qualitative methods such as surveys and interviews will be conducted comparing the views of
those who have worked 10+ years at the company and chose to stay, compared with those
who chose to leave.
Option 1: Writing the Problem Statement
Do not exceed 250-300 words.
It is helpful to begin the problem statement with a sentence: “The problem to be addressed
through this project is…”
Paragraph 1
The problem should be evidenced-based and focus on practice within your perspective field or
domain. Then, fill out the rest of the paragraph with an elaboration of that specific problem,
making sure to “document” it, as your doctoral committee will look for evidence that it is
indeed a problem (emphasis also on the timeliness of the problem, supported by citations
within the last 5 years). Identify the negative consequences that are occurring as a result of
the problem.
Paragraph 2
Next, write a paragraph explaining the consequences of NOT solving the problem. Who will
be affected? How will they be affected? How important is it to fix the problem? Again, your
doctoral committee will want to see research-based citations and statistics that indicate the
negative implications are significant.
Paragraph 3
In the final paragraph, you will explain what is not known that should be known. What isn’t
known about the problem? Presumably, if your problem and purpose are aligned, your
research will try to close or minimize this gap by investigating the problem. Have other
practitioners investigated the issue? What has their research left unanswered?
How to write a problem statement in 5 steps
1 Answer the five Ws
The first step in writing a problem statement is answering the questions known as the five Ws:
What?
Where?
Why?
Who?
When?
What is the problem? Where is the problem occurring? Why is it occurring? Who is it
affecting? When does it cause difficulties?
The answers to these questions should provide a more comprehensive look at the situation.
And a better understanding of the problem’s facets may make easier to write a well-
constructed problem statement.
2 Describe the ideal situation
The next step is to write a description of the ideal scenario. If the problem didn’t exist, what
would the reality be? Exploring the ideal situation helps you pinpoint the causes, details, and
side effects of the problem you might have initially missed. Elements of this ideal situation
may find their way into your problem statement or subsequent purpose statement.
3 Explain the problem and why it matters
With a clear, multi-angled picture of the problem, you’re ready to write a
professional problem statement that articulates the situation at hand. In this step, present the
information in a logical order: State the problem, the reason (or reasons) it’s a problem, and
thus, why it needs to be fixed.
4 Explore the problem’s costs
In this step, explain why the problem matters by examining what it costs the people affected
—financially and non-financially. For example, you may show that your company’s reliance
on outdated software costs money for recurring repairs and that its resulting downtime also
costs employee productivity.
4 Support your claim with facts
Last, make sure you have relevant facts and statistics to support your claim. Otherwise,
there’s little reason for the reader to fund your research or support the changes you claim
would resolve the problem.