Problem Framing

Problem Framing

Turn an approved intake route into a crisp problem statement and a small set of decision-ready options.

Context

Problem framing sits immediately after intake when routing is clear but the work is still underspecified. It absorbs the strongest part of brainstorming-style collaboration without collapsing the entry gate into a full design workshop.

Use it to answer:

• What problem are we actually solving?
• What boundaries must stay fixed?
• What are the viable directions?
• Which direction should the team carry into specification, research, or architecture?

Do not use it when the route is already well-scoped enough for downstream work, or when the user is already in implementation, debugging, or review.

Inputs

• intake-brief -- Must identify the work type, entry phase, recommended workflow, key risks, and the next likely skill.

Process

Step 1: Read the Intake Route

Review the intake brief before asking anything new.

Extract:

• the requested outcome
• the routing rationale
• the risks and unknowns already identified
• the downstream phase that this framing is meant to unlock

Step 2: Ask Only Decision-Changing Questions

Ask questions one at a time.

Default budget:

• 1-3 questions in normal cases
• up to 5 only if each additional answer materially changes scope, risk, or option selection

Focus on:

• success criteria
• hard constraints
• non-goals
• irreversible decisions or dependencies

Do not restate intake questions unless the answer is still ambiguous or conflicting.

Step 3: Write the Problem Frame

Produce a concise problem-frame covering:

• problem statement
• target users or operators
• constraints
• non-goals
• assumptions
• open questions

The problem frame must be sharp enough that downstream skills do not have to rediscover the core problem.

Step 4: Compare 2-3 Directions

Produce an options-brief with 2-3 plausible directions.

For each direction, note:

• why it is viable
• what it optimizes for
• what it risks or defers
• when it should be rejected

Keep these at the level of product or solution direction, not low-level implementation detail.

Step 5: Recommend One Direction

Record a design-direction that includes:

• the recommended option
• why it wins over the alternatives
• what must remain open for downstream skills
• the next lifecycle destination (market-analysis, user-research, feasibility-study, or requirements-engineering)

Step 6: Get Approval and Handoff

Ask the user to confirm the framing and chosen direction.

After approval, hand off the framing artifacts to the next skill named in the design-direction.

Outputs

• problem-frame -- The clarified problem, constraints, and non-goals
• options-brief -- Small set of viable directions with trade-offs
• design-direction -- Approved recommendation plus next lifecycle destination

Quality Gate

• problem-frame states the problem, constraints, non-goals, assumptions, and open questions
• options-brief compares 2-3 viable directions with explicit trade-offs
• design-direction recommends one direction and names the next skill to invoke
• The total question load stayed within the default budget or justified why it exceeded it
• The user approved the framing output before handoff

Anti-Patterns

1. Repeating intake -- Intake already handled classification and routing. Framing should deepen the decision, not restart the entry gate.
2. Premature architecture -- Stay at the level of direction and trade-off. Leave system structure to system-design.
3. Infinite discovery interviews -- Use the minimum questions needed to make a decision. If more information is required, route to research skills.
4. Single-option framing -- If only one path is shown, there is no real trade-off analysis.

Related Skills

• intake -- provides the approved route and initial constraints
• market-analysis -- use when market uncertainty remains high
• user-research -- use when user behavior or pain points are still unclear
• feasibility-study -- use when go/no-go needs deeper validation
• requirements-engineering -- consumes the approved design direction