Define the Problem Before Choosing the Solution

A request is the start of a conversation

When someone asks for a dashboard, an app or a new approval step, record the request accurately. Then investigate the situation behind it. A requested feature may be useful, but it is not itself evidence of the problem. This article presents an RDE practice exercise using a fictional example.

A training administrator asks for automatic reminders because learners miss appointments. Before selecting a reminder tool, explore how appointments are arranged, how information reaches learners and what happens when a learner cannot attend.

Describe the current situation

Ask who experiences the difficulty, what they are trying to accomplish and when the difficulty occurs. Observe the current process where possible and seek permission before using records or speaking with participants. Separate direct observations, reported experience and your assumptions.

Do not turn a single complaint into a universal statement. Record the scope of the evidence. An example from one team or one week may justify further investigation without proving that every learner has the same problem.

Write a provisional problem statement

Use a short structure: a named group encounters a specific difficulty in a defined situation, creating an observable consequence. Add what is known and what needs investigation. Avoid including the preferred solution in the statement.

For the fictional example: some learners do not see appointment details before the session, and the administrator spends time rearranging attendance. The team needs to investigate how messages are delivered and how learners respond. This wording leaves more than one possible response open.

Investigate alternatives

Consider explanations that could change the response. The difficulty might involve incorrect contact details, inaccessible information, inconvenient timing or unclear instructions. Record each as a question rather than presenting it as fact.

Agree what evidence would help distinguish between explanations. Keep the investigation proportionate. A short conversation, an authorised process observation or a small record review may be more useful than building a new system immediately.

Choose the next action

Review the statement with people affected by the process and with the person responsible for the decision. Record disagreements and limitations. Do not claim agreement merely because nobody challenged a document.

Your next action: take one feature request, write a provisional problem statement and list three questions that could change your understanding. Use the related user-needs guide to explore the experience behind the request.

Cover image: AI-generated illustrative scene created specifically for this resource.