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How to Tell If My Problem Statement Is Really Validated?

Updated: Feb 5



The feeling you get from a fully validated problem statement
The feeling you get from a fully validated problem statement


TLDR:               

Assess the problem's alignment with your company's strategic objectives. Speak to real people who are close to the problem. Gather reliable/accurate data to uncover the true cost/benefit of this problem. Identify the Key Stakeholders who would benefit from this problem being solved. Speak with Key Stakeholders in a structured way to create realistic/actionable next steps.



Problem Statement Validation can be complex, you want to get closer to the root cause without burning too many resources. If you are looking for more detailed information for you to takeaway and create a plan to validate your problem statement contact us below.


Writing a strong problem statement is crucial, but how do you know if it’s truly validated? Here’s how to ensure your problem statement is clear, relevant, and backed by real insights.




1: Business Impact

Begin by clearly articulating the problem's impact on key business metrics and KPIs, such as revenue loss, customer churn, or operational inefficiencies. 


2: Data collection

Validate the problem's scale by gathering relevant data from multiple internal sources, including sales reports, customer feedback, product usage metrics, and operational data. Ensure the data is clean.


3: Connect Key Stakeholders

Speaking with executives, middle management, and front-line employees can reveal different perspectives and potential root causes.


4: Mapping

Assess the problem's alignment with your company's strategic objectives and growth initiatives by mapping it against your current strategic roadmap and long-term vision. This helps ensure that solving this problem contributes meaningfully to your organisation's goals.





5: Urgency

Evaluate the problem's urgency and timing by considering market conditions, technological developments, and competitive pressures. For instance, seasonality may make this problem more critical in a few months.


6: Assumptions

Challenge your assumptions with alternative explanations for the observed issues e.g. controlled experiments, A/B tests, pilot programs to validate your hypotheses about the problem's nature and causes.


7: ROI

Calculate the potential return on investment for solving the problem by estimating both the required resources (time, money, personnel) and the expected benefits. This helps prioritize the problem against other strategic initiatives and secure necessary stakeholder buy-in.


8: Validation

Create a problem validation scorecard that measures the issue against key criteria such as strategic fit, market opportunity, technical feasibility, and organisational readiness. This provides a structured framework for evaluating whether the problem warrants further investment and action.



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