Problem Statement Worksheet: 30 Minute Exercise to Clarity

Problem Statement Worksheet: A Three Step Guide

Step 1: Copy the Problem Statement Worksheet

1. Fill this out. Provide comments on the prior Problem Statement article

2. Request access. I give access to those who fill the form out above.

Step 2: Fill out the Problem Statement Worksheet

A) Evidence Quality in Your Problem Statement Worksheet

• These sections encourage you to critically evaluate whether your statements are genuinely significant and supported by evidence, helping to mitigate bias in your entries.

• Use 🔴 High, 🟡 Medium, or 🟢 Low in the appropriate sections as seen by the example.

B) Mission

1. Describe your work in 2–3 sentences.

2. Highlight your target population, services, and values.

3. Incorporate the emotional and social dimensions of your work if applicable

C) #1 Goal

1. Define a specific, measurable outcome (e.g., “[Number] [type of outcome] for [target client] by [Date]”).

2. Clarify why this is your top goal by sharing your current status, confidence level in achieving the goal, and data on organizational and community level impacts of the goal isn’t met.

D) Current Workflow

1. List your top 3–5 concrete steps that you take to get from the start to your desired outcome.

2. Include tools or partners you work with to help outsiders understand what each step involves.

E) #1 Challenge

1. Start with the biggest bottleneck in your current workflow to your process — where are you gettin the stuck the most.

2. Identify root causes. (1) Reflect on success & failure toward your primary goal and why the goal remains unmet. (2) cluster reasons into 1-3 root causes.

3. Identify drivers behind that root cause. Take into account efforts to address the root cause and share the perspective of dependencies, such as partners you need to work with to achieve your outcome.

F) Solution Criteria

1. Define solution criteria, such as feasibility requirements for a solution to succeed

2. List who must approve/participate (i.e., stakeholders) and their requirements for a solution.

Step 3: Send Me Your Problem Statement Worksheet

1. Fill this out. Provide comments on the prior Problem Statement article

2. Request access. I give access to those who fill the form out above.

Next Steps