Problem Statement

/problem-statement

Define the framing. Change the statement, change the solution space.

A problem statement is not the problem itself—it's the lens through which you see the problem. Different framings open different solution spaces. The right framing makes good solutions obvious; the wrong framing makes them invisible.

When to Use

Invoke /problem-statement when:

• Starting new work - Before diving into solutions, articulate what you're actually solving
• Solutions feel off - When proposed solutions seem convoluted or like workarounds
• Oscillating on approach - When you keep changing direction, the framing might be wrong
• Suspected X-Y problem - When someone asks for a specific solution but the underlying need is unclear
• Requirements keep expanding - Scope creep often signals a framing mismatch
• After /aim but before /solution-space - The natural sequence: aim defines outcome, problem statement frames the challenge

Do not use when: You already have a crisp problem statement and are ready to explore solutions. Move to /solution-space.

The Framing Process

Step 1: Surface the Current Framing

Before reframing, understand how the problem is currently being seen:

"The problem is currently framed as: [how it's being described]"

Capture:

• What's the stated problem?
• What assumptions are embedded in how it's described?
• What's being treated as fixed vs. changeable?

Step 2: Detect X-Y Problems

Watch for the X-Y problem pattern: someone asks for Y (their attempted solution) when they actually need X (the real problem).

Signs of X-Y mismatch:

• Request is oddly specific for what seems like a simple goal
• The solution feels like a workaround
• "How do I do [technique]?" without explaining why
• Convoluted multi-step approach to something that should be simple

If X-Y problem detected:

"You're asking for [Y], but the underlying need seems to be [X]. Is that right? If so, we should reframe around [X]."

Step 3: Separate WHAT from HOW

A good problem statement articulates WHAT needs to change, not HOW to change it.

Wrong: "We need to add a caching layer to reduce latency" Right: "Page loads take 3+ seconds; users abandon before content appears"

Wrong: "We need to refactor the auth module" Right: "Adding a new auth provider takes 2 weeks and touches 6 files"

Test your statement:

• Does it describe a symptom or a solution?
• Could someone unfamiliar with the codebase understand what's wrong?
• Does it leave room for multiple solution approaches?

Step 4: Identify Constraints and Flexibility

Every problem exists within constraints. Name them explicitly:

Hard constraints (actually immovable):

• Regulatory requirements
• Laws of physics
• Existing user commitments

Soft constraints (feel fixed but aren't):

• "We've always done it this way"
• Technical debt
• Team preferences

Questions to surface flexibility:

• What would we do if [constraint] didn't exist?
• Who decided [constraint] was fixed? Can we revisit?
• What's the cost of violating [constraint] vs. the cost of keeping it?

Step 5: Craft the Problem Statement

Structure: [Who] needs [what outcome] because [why it matters], but currently [what's blocking].

Good problem statements are:

• Crisp - One or two sentences, not a paragraph
• Outcome-focused - Describes the desired state, not the current mess
• Testable - You'll know when it's solved
• Solution-agnostic - Leaves room to explore approaches

Examples:

Step 6: Validate the Framing

Before committing to a problem statement, test it:

1. State it to someone else - If they immediately suggest a solution, the framing is too narrow
2. Invert it - What would the world look like if this problem didn't exist?
3. Zoom out - Is this a symptom of a larger problem?
4. Zoom in - Is this actually multiple problems masquerading as one?

Output Format

Produce a problem statement in this structure:

## Problem Statement

**Current framing:** [How the problem is currently being described]

**Reframed as:** [Your crisp problem statement]

**The shift:** [What changed in how we see it]

### Constraints
- **Hard:** [Actually immovable constraints]
- **Soft:** [Constraints that feel fixed but might be flexible]

### What this framing enables
[What solution approaches become visible with this framing]

### What this framing excludes
[What approaches are off the table with this framing—and whether that's intentional]

Examples

Example 1: X-Y Problem Detection

User asks:

"How do I parse this JSON and extract the user IDs into a separate array?"

X-Y detection:

## Problem Statement

**Current framing:** Need to parse JSON and extract user IDs into an array.

**But wait—why?** This sounds like an attempted solution. What's the underlying need?

**Clarifying questions:**
- What will you do with the array of user IDs?
- Where does this JSON come from?
- How often does this need to happen?

**If the answer is:** "I need to check if the current user is in this list"

**Reframed as:** Need to determine if current user has permission to access this resource.

**The shift:** From data transformation to authorization check. This might be solvable without extracting IDs at all—a simple `includes()` check or a backend permission endpoint.

Example 2: Reframing Infrastructure as User Problem

Original request:

"We need to set up a message queue between services"

Problem statement work:

## Problem Statement

**Current framing:** Set up message queue between services.

**That's a solution. What's the problem?**

After discussion: "When Service A updates, Service B doesn't know about it. Users see stale data."

**Reframed as:** Users see stale data after updates because services don't communicate changes in real-time.

**The shift:** From infrastructure request to user experience problem. Now we can evaluate: Does this need real-time? Is eventual consistency acceptable? Could we solve this with cache invalidation instead?

### Constraints
- **Hard:** Users must see accurate data within 5 seconds of update
- **Soft:** "We use message queues for this" (actually flexible—polling, webhooks, or even a shared cache might work)

### What this framing enables
- Evaluate real-time vs. eventual consistency needs
- Consider polling intervals as a simpler solution
- Question whether these should be separate services at all

### What this framing excludes
- Building complex event-driven architecture before validating the need

Example 3: Scope Creep Signal

Context:

Started as "add a dark mode toggle." Now touching 14 files and we realize there's no theme system.

Problem statement work:

## Problem Statement

**Current framing:** Add dark mode toggle.

**What's actually happening:** We can't add the toggle because there's no theme infrastructure to toggle between.

**Reframed as:** The codebase has no theming system; colors are hardcoded across components.

**The shift:** This is two problems:
1. Build theming infrastructure (larger)
2. Add dark mode as first alternate theme (smaller, depends on #1)

The original ask revealed a missing capability, not a feature to add.

### Constraints
- **Hard:** None identified
- **Soft:** "Ship dark mode this sprint" (may not be realistic given scope)

### What this framing enables
- Properly scope the work (infrastructure then feature)
- Consider: is dark mode the most valuable first use of a theme system?
- Evaluate CSS-in-JS vs. CSS variables vs. other approaches

### What this framing excludes
- Hacking dark mode without addressing the underlying issue (band-aid)

Session Persistence

This skill can persist context to .oh/<session>.md for use by subsequent skills.

If session name provided (/problem-statement auth-refactor):

• Reads/writes .oh/auth-refactor.md directly

If no session name provided (/problem-statement):

• After producing the problem statement, offer to save it:

  "Save to session? [suggested-name] [custom] [skip]"

• Suggest a name based on git branch or the problem topic

Reading: Check for existing session file. If found, read prior skill outputs—especially the Aim section—for context. The aim informs what problem we're actually trying to solve.

Writing: After producing output, write the problem statement to the session file:

---
session: <session>
artifact_type: problem-statement
updated: <timestamp>
---
## Problem Statement
**Updated:** <timestamp>

[problem statement content]

If the section exists, replace it. If not, append it after the Aim section.

Adaptive Enhancement

Base Skill (prompt only)

Works anywhere. Produces problem statement for discussion. No persistence.

With .oh/ session file

• Reads .oh/<session>.md for prior context (especially aim)
• Writes problem statement to the session file
• Subsequent skills can read the framing

With Open Horizons MCP

• Queries graph for similar problems and their eventual framings
• Retrieves tribal knowledge about framing patterns that worked/failed
• Logs the problem statement as a decision point in the endeavor
• Session file serves as local cache

Position in Framework

Comes after: /aim and /problem-space (know where you're going and what terrain you're in). Leads to: /solution-space to explore approaches, or /dissent if the framing feels too easy. Can loop back from: /solution-space (if exploration reveals the problem is mis-framed).

Leads To

After problem statement, typically:

• /solution-space - Explore candidate solutions given this framing
• /dissent - Challenge the framing before committing
• /aim - If the outcome itself is unclear (go back to clarify)

Remember: The problem statement isn't just documentation—it's the leverage point. A different framing doesn't just describe the problem differently; it literally changes what solutions become possible.