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Make this yours. Duplicate this page into your own Notion workspace using the Duplicate option in the page menu, top right. Then fill it in at the start of a project, before anyone proposes a solution.
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This worksheet sits beside the article on problem framing in service design. It takes one problem through the five steps, so the team can see how it was defined and agree which version to work on.
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The one rule. Write problems, not solutions. If a sentence starts with redesign, build, add or automate, it is a solution. Rewrite it as what is going wrong, and for whom.
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The problem, in the exact words it was given
Who gave it to us
What they expect us to do about it
Where the problem was first noticed
The solution that came attached, if any
Date
The same problem looks different from each of these positions. A blank row tells you who to talk to next.
| Who experiences it | What it looks like from where they are | What it costs them | Have we heard this from them directly? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The person using the service | |||
| Frontline staff | |||
| Operations | |||
| Policy or compliance | |||
| Another team or organisation |
List every statement the problem rests on. Be strict about the second column.
| Statement | Known or assumed | Source | How we could check |
|---|---|---|---|
Write the problem at least three other ways. Each version should point to different work.
| Version of the problem | What it would lead us to do | Who would own that work | Evidence for this version |
|---|---|---|---|
| As given | |||
| Reframe one | |||
| Reframe two | |||
| Reframe three |