Articulating business problems with clarity and consistency is essential: it empowers people and teams to decouple problems from solution ideas and set the right focus - on what needs to be solved, not how. More templates - including business experiment definition and hackathon setup, here: https://www.theinnovationmode.com/innovation-toolkit

1. The Innovation Mode ● Business ProblemDefinition
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A: SET THE CONTEXT
Name the problem
Reflect theproblemin a
single sentence
Type a compact name for the problem
The environment
What is theecosystem
where the problemexists?
Who are the key usersor
impacted entities?
Who are the key players,
stakeholders, market
forces andentitieswith
vested interest?
Describe the ecosystem in which the problem exists.
The current state
What are the symptoms
and the impact ofthe
problem? How do
involved parties
experience it?
What are the identifiedor
plausible root cause?
What are the conditions or
events that trigger it?
Describe how the problem impacts the key-users.
The dynamics
When did the problem
first appearandhow fast
is it growingin terms of
impacted entities?
What is theexpected
growth oftheproblem?
Are there known attempts
to addresstheproblem?
Describe the growth patterns of the problem.
The Innovation Mode
PROBLEM DEFINITION
Use this form to articulate a business problem with clarity. Focus on the situation, the nature of
the problem, the involved users and how they are impacted. Don’t describe solutions at this stage;
avoid the buzzwords, acronyms, and technical terms. Just a clear description of the problem.
Instructions on how to use this form at the end of this document
Discover additional templates: theinnovationmode.com/innovation-toolkit
Your Company
Name

2. The Innovation Mode ● Business ProblemDefinition
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The ideal state
How would theideal state
look likeif theproblem
was solved?
How wouldthedynamics
among thekey
stakeholderschange?How
the experience ofthe
primary userswouldbe
better?
Describe the ideal state – assuming the problem was ‘magically’ solved.
B: DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Business Area What are the most relevant business areas?
Compiled by The owner of the document On 02 October 2020
HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT
Use this form as a guide to define a business problem with clarity. It’s a good practice to separate problems with solutions: A
well-defined problem exists independently of potential solutions. Multiple ideas, each addressing a specific problem statement,
may appear at ‘random moments’ – hence a good strategy is to maintain a backlog of problem statements, visible to your
innovation community.
1. Save a copy of this form with a name reflecting the problem – e.g. my_team_name-problem_name-mm-yyyy.docx
2. Fill in the gaps - ensure that you provide accurate, short answers that best present the problem.
3. Avoid the buzzwords and technicalities; don’t reference solutions – this is all about the problem.
4. Share the document with stakeholders and ask their different view on the problem.
5. Incorporate feedback, ensure that the document reflects the latest understanding of the problem.
6. Expose the problem definition document to your innovation community orproduct dev teams
Repeat the same process whenever there appears a problem worth exploring. Consider implementing this form as part of an
innovation management system - contact us for free advice.
The Innovation Mode ● The InnovationToolkit ● The Business ProblemDefinition
This work is licensed undera Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0InternationalLicense
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Defining Business Problems - examples
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