Practice : Problem Framing Workshops
Purpose and Strategic Importance
Problem Framing Workshops help teams align on the right problem to solve, preventing premature convergence on solutions. They foster shared understanding of why the problem matters and who it affects.
By framing the problem space explicitly, teams avoid building the wrong thing and strengthen cross-functional alignment.
Without structured framing, discovery efforts drift, decisions fragment, and investment risks being wasted on low-value work.
Description of the Practice
- Facilitated sessions that define the problem, context, and success criteria.
- Techniques include “How Might We” reframing, 5 Whys, and stakeholder mapping.
- Outputs include problem statements, hypotheses, and prioritised uncertainties.
How to Practise It (Playbook)
1. Getting Started
- Gather a cross-functional group.
- Frame the session with: What problem are we solving? For whom? Why now?
- Document assumptions and knowledge gaps.
2. Scaling and Maturing
- Standardise workshops into discovery processes.
- Invite customers or external stakeholders to broaden perspective.
- Link outputs to OKRs or roadmaps.
3. Team Behaviours to Encourage
- Openness to reframing assumptions.
- Equal participation across roles.
- Focus on outcomes, not pre-defined solutions.
4. Watch Out For…
- Teams jumping straight to solutions.
- Dominant voices overshadowing others.
- Workshops disconnected from strategy or delivery.
5. Signals of Success
- Qualitative: Problem statements used to guide backlog refinement.
- Quantitative: Reduction in solution pivots due to poor framing.