Framing the problem
The way a problem is framed decides which solutions you will see. Reframing the same problem from different angles often reveals better options than solving the first version.
Key ideas
- The first framing is rarely the best one.
- Asking who has the problem and why changes the solution.
- A well-framed problem is specific, measurable and owned.
Step by step
- 1
Write the problem as it was first described.
- 2
Rewrite it from the customer's, the team's and the leader's view.
- 3
Ask why it matters until you reach the real goal.
- 4
Choose the framing that makes progress measurable.
Example
'We need a bigger waiting room' is reframed as 'patients wait too long to be seen'. The solution becomes faster triage, not construction.
Your drill
Take a current problem and write three different framings of it, then pick the one that leads to the most practical action.
Common mistakes
- Solving the first framing without questioning it.
- Framing problems as missing solutions, such as 'we need more staff'.
Check yourself
Why is 'we need more staff' a weak problem framing?
Show the answer
It states a solution rather than the underlying problem, which hides other possible answers.
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