Draft a Problem Statement

Turn a fuzzy situation into a clear problem statement for your charter.

The prompt

Copy the text below and replace the bolded placeholders with your own material.

"You're an experienced project manager helping me scope a new project. Draft three versions of a problem statement that describe the gap between current state and desired state without proposing a solution. Flag any assumptions I've made that I should verify first. [describe the situation here, including who it affects and what prompted action now]"

On campus? Ask Stu instead. Stu already knows our methodology, so you can skip the setup and just describe your situation. Available to UC Berkeley staff, faculty, and students.

When to use it

You know something needs fixing but the ask is vague. A good problem statement describes the gap between current and desired state without smuggling in a solution. Use this before you write objectives, scope, or anything else.

A problem statement is the foundation of any project charter. It names the gap between where things are now and where they need to be, in language a sponsor can approve and a team can act on. Get it right and everything downstream (objectives, scope, success measures) has something solid to build on. Get it wrong and you spend the project solving the wrong thing.

Make it better

Your first result is a draft, not an answer. Two follow-ups worth asking:

"Which version would a skeptical sponsor find most compelling, and why?"

"Quantify the problem using these numbers: [paste any data you have]."

Put it to work

A finished problem statement goes straight into your Project Charter. Get the template on the Initiate Project with Sponsor activity page.

Keep going

Define Objectives and Root Causes Button

Next in the work: turn this problem statement into measurable objectives.
 

← Browse all prompts in the Prompt Library

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