1. Problem phase
The art of understanding before solving.
"If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about the solution." — Albert Einstein (attributed)
What it is: The process of understanding the real problem before thinking about solutions. It's not a kickoff meeting or a briefing. It's an active investigation with the people who live the problem. Its sole objective is to produce a problem definition that is precise, shared, and validated.
Who participates: The team responsible for the product or solution, direct clients or users, and any stakeholder with direct contact with the problem. In this phase, no one participates whose only relationship with the problem is organizational or hierarchical.
What questions are answered: What is the real problem, not the symptom? Who does it affect and how do they experience it? What causes it? What has this person already tried to solve it and why didn't it work? What is the cost of the problem if it's not solved? When does it occur, how often, in what context?
What it produces: A Problem Statement — a clear, concise, and validated definition of the problem. No more than half a page. It must be readable by anyone in the organization and produce the same understanding in everyone.
When it's complete: When the Problem Statement has been validated directly with the clients or users who live the problem and there is agreement within the team on its formulation. Not before.
Why
Problem Phase exists to interrupt the pattern of building without understanding. It's the highest-return investment in the entire process.
The Trap
The unstoppable urge to jump to solutions is the number one enemy of good discovery. The antidote is seeking evidence that contradicts your assumptions.
What it is
Most failures in this phase don't come from doing it poorly, but from confusing it with something else.
Biases
No team enters discovery with a blank mind. These are the most common biases and the antidotes we apply to counteract them.
Who
The composition of the discovery team is a design decision that determines the quality of what you'll discover. The Actor Map changes everything.
Questions
Six fundamental questions structure the investigation. Each opens a different angle on the problem to compose a complete picture.
→ Phase 2
When the Gate Review is complete, the team earns the right to think about solutions. The Problem Statement becomes the foundation for everything that follows.