A problem statement is a short, succinct explanation of a problem a business is facing and a proposed solution to the problem.Problem statements can be used to communicate a solution quickly.Think about the problem and your proposed solution before you write a problem statement.
Step 1: Explain the ideal state of affairs.
Some sources suggest jumping right to the problem itself, while others suggest providing background context first so that the reader can understand the solution.If you're unsure of how to start, you can choose the latter option.Every piece of practical writing should aim for conciseness, but it's even more important to be understood.Explain how things should work.If the problem didn't exist, explain in a few sentences how things would be.Let's say that you work at a major airline and you notice that the way passengers board your planes is not efficient use of time and resources.The boarding protocols used by ABC Airlines should aim to get each flight's passengers aboard the plane quickly and efficiently so that you can begin your problem statement by describing an ideal situation where the boarding system isn't inefficient.The process of boarding should be easy for passengers to understand.
Step 2: Tell your problem.
A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved according to the inventor Charles Kettering.One of the most important goals of any problem statement is to articulate the problem in a way that is easy to understand.Succinctly summarize the problem you intend to solve, this cuts to the heart of the issue immediately, and places the most important information near the top, where it's most visible.To show that the problem you've identified is preventing the ideal vision from being a reality, you may want to start your sentence with "However,..." or "Unfortunately,...".If you think you've developed a quicker, more efficient system for getting passengers aboard our planes than the typical "back to front" seating system, then please let us know.ABC Airlines current passenger boarding system is an inefficient use of the company's time and resources.By wasting employee man-hours, the current boarding protocols make the company less competitive and by contributing to a slow boarding process, they create an unfavorable brand image.In your explanation, try to stress the problem's importance.
Step 3: Discuss your problem's financial costs.
You'll want to explain why it's a big deal soon after you say you have a problem.Money is almost always the bottom line in the business world, so you will want to highlight the financial impact of your problem on the company or organization you're writing for.Are you talking about keeping your business from making more money?Is it costing you money?Is it costing your business money by damaging your brand image?Try to specify an exact dollar amount for your problem's cost in order to be as specific as possible.The inefficiency of the current boarding system represents a significant financial burden for the company.On average, the current boarding system takes four minutes per boarding session, resulting in 20 wasted man-hours per day across all ABC flights.$400 per day is a waste.
Step 4: You should back up your assertions.
If you can't back up your claims with evidence, you may not be taken seriously.When you start making specific claims about how serious your problem is, you need to support them with evidence.This could be from your own research, data from a related study, or even from third-party sources.In some corporate and academic situations, you may need to explicitly reference your evidence in the text of your problem statement, while in other situations it may be enough to just use a footnote or another form of shorthand for your citations.Ask your boss or teacher for advice if you're not sure.The sentences used in the previous step need to be reexamined.They don't explain how the problem was found.According to internal performance tracking data, the current boarding system waste four minutes per boarding session, resulting in a total of 20 wasted man-hours per day across all ABC flights.Terminal personal are paid an average of $20 per hour, so this is a waste of roughly $400 per day or 146,000 per year.In an actual problem statement, the footnote would correspond to a reference or appendix containing the data mentioned.
Step 5: Give a solution.
If you have explained what the problem is and why it's important, then you should explain how you will deal with it.As with the initial statement of the problem, your explanation should be concise and clear.If you stick to big, important, concrete concepts and leave any minor details for later, you will have plenty of opportunities to get into every minor aspect of your proposed solution.In our airline example, our solution to the problem of inefficient boarding practices is this new system you've discovered, so you should explain the broad strokes of this system without getting into the minor details."ABC Airlines can eliminate these four minutes of waste by using a modified boarding system proposed by Dr. Edward Right of the Kowlard Business Efficiency Institute."The "meat" of our analysis will be in the body of the proposal, so you wouldn't use more than a sentence or two to explain the new system.
Step 6: Discuss the benefits of the solution.
It's a great idea to explain why this solution is a good idea after you've told your readers what should be done.Since businesses are always trying to increase their efficiency and earn more money, you'll want to focus on the financial impact of your solution.It's possible to explain non-tangible benefits, like improved customer satisfaction, but your total explanation shouldn't be too long.You could briefly describe how our company could benefit from the money saved with our solution."ABC Airlines stands to benefit substantially from the adoption of this new boarding program."Expansion of its selection of flights to high-demand markets can be a new source of revenue.ABC stands to gain a lot of recognition as an industry leader in the areas of value and convenience by being the first American airline to adopt this solution.
Step 7: The problem and solution should be summarized.
You're almost done if you identified the problem keeping you from achieving the ideal and suggested a solution.The only thing left to do is to conclude with a summary of your main arguments that will allow you to transition easily into the main body of the proposal.Try to state in just a few sentences the basic idea of what you've described in your problem statement and the approach you intend to take in the body of the article.Adoption of new, more-effective protocols is important for the continued competitiveness of the company.The alternative boarding protocols were developed by Dr.Steps for effective implementation are suggested for right.This sums up the main point of the problem statement, which is that the current boarding procedure isn't very good and that this new one is better, and tells the audience what to expect if they continue reading.Mention the possible consequences if the solution isn't implemented.
Step 8: Don't forget a thesis statement for academic work.
When you have to write a problem statement for school, rather than for work, the process will be largely the same, but there may be extra items you need to take into account to assure a good grade.Many composition classes will require you to include a thesis statement in your problem statement.The thesis statement is a single sentence that summarizes your entire argument.The problem and solution can be clearly identified in a good thesis statement.Let's say you're writing a paper about the problem of academic essay mills, companies that sell pre-written and/or custom works for students to purchase and turn in as their own work."The practice of buying academic essays, which undermines the learning process and gives an advantage to rich students, can be combated by providing professors with stronger digital analysis tools."For instance, some classes will require you to put your thesis sentence at a certain place in your problem statement.If you're not sure, check with your teacher.
Step 9: For conceptual problems, follow the same process.
Problem statements aren't always going to be for documents dealing with practical problems.In the humanities, and especially in academics, there are some conceptual problems that have to do with the way you think about abstract ideas.While shifting away from a business focus, you can still use the same basic problem statement framework to present the problem at hand.Explain why the problem matters, explain how you plan to solve it, and sum up all of this in a conclusion are some of the things you'll want to do.Let's say we're asked to write a problem statement for a report on the importance of religious symbolism in The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.By better understanding the religious symbolism in the novel, it is possible to draw new insights from the book.
Step 10: Don't be lengthy.
This is the only thing to keep in mind when writing a problem statement.Problem statements need to be done in order to lay out the problem and its solution for the reader.There should be no wasted sentence.The problem statement's goals should be removed from any sentence that doesn't contribute to them.Direct language is what you should use.Problem statements should only deal with the essentials of your problem and solution if you don't get bogged down in minor details.Keep your problem statement short and to the point.Adding your own commentary or flavor to a problem statement is not a good idea as it makes the statement longer for no practical purpose.Depending on the seriousness of your topic and audience, you may or may not have the chance to be more long-winded in the body of the document.
Step 11: You can write to your audience.
It's important to remember that you're writing for someone else, not yourself, when you make a problem statement.Try to keep your intended audience in mind as you write, because different audiences have different sets of knowledge, different reasons for reading, and different attitudes towards your problem.You want your problem statement to be easy to understand for your audience, which means you may need to change your style, tone, and diction from one audience to another."Who, specifically, am I writing for?" is a question you should ask yourself as you write.Why am I speaking to this group?Does the audience know the same things as I do?Does this audience share the same attitude as I do towards this problem?Why should my audience care about this?
Step 12: Don't use jargon without a definition.
The problem statement should be written so that it is easy for your audience to understand.Unless you are writing for a technical audience that is knowledgeable in the terminology of the field you're writing about, you will want to avoid using technical jargon too much.If you assume that your audience has all of the technical knowledge that you do, you risk alienating them and losing readers as soon as they encounter terms and information they're not familiar with.If we're writing for a board of highly educated physicians, we may be able to assume that they know what the term "metacarpal" means.If we're writing to an audience made up of both physicians and wealthy hospital investors who may or may not be medically trained, it's a good idea to introduce the word "metacarpal" with its definition- the bone between the first two joints of the finger.
Step 13: Stick to a narrow problem.
The best problem statements are not long.They're focused on a single problem and its solution.Generally, narrow, defined topics are easier to write about than large, vague ones, so whenever possible, you'll want to keep the scope of your problem statement well focused.In academic situations where you have minimum page limits for your assignment, this is usually a good thing.A good rule of thumb is to only address problems that can be solved beyond a shadow of a doubt.If you're not sure of a definitive solution that can solve your entire problem, you may want to narrow the scope of your project and change your problem statement to reflect this new focus.It is helpful to wait until after the body of the document or proposal has been completed to write the problem statement.When you write your problem statement, you can use our actual document as a guideline so that you don't have to guess about the ground you may cover.
Step 14: Remember the five Ws.
Problem statements should be brief, but should not include minute details.If you are unsure of what to include in your problem statement, a smart idea is to try to answer the five Ws.Addressing the five Ws gives your reader a good baseline level of knowledge to understand the problem and solution.If you're writing a problem statement to propose a new building development to your local city council, you can address the five Ws by explaining who the development would benefit, what the requirement would be, when construction should begin, and why.
Step 15: Speak in a formal voice.
For serious proposals and projects, problem statements are almost always used.In the problem statement, you will want to use a formal, dignified writing style similar to the style used for the body of the document.Your writing needs to be clear, plain, and direct.Don't try to win over your reader with a friendly tone in your problem statement.Don't use jokes.There should be no pointless asides or anecdotes.Slang or colloquialisms should not be used.Good problem statements know that they have a job to do and don't waste time or ink on unnecessary content.You can usually get to include purely "entertaining" content in academic writing in the humanities.Sometimes it's possible to find problem statements that begin with a quote.The rest of the problem statement is written in a formal voice even though the quote has some bearing on the problems being discussed.
Step 16: It's always a good idea to proofread for errors.
It's a must for all forms of serious writing to have a good proofreader.Give your problem statement a quick read when you finish it.Does it flow correctly?Does it present its ideas logically?Is it logically organized?Make these changes now if not.When you're satisfied with the structure of your problem statement, double-check it for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.Re-reading your problem statement will never make you regret it.Since the problem statement is the first part of a proposal or report that someone will read, any errors here will be especially embarrassing for you and can even reflect negatively on your entire document.