A problem statement is a clear concise description of the issue that needs to be addressed by the team. It will address both the technical problem as well as the business problem of the project.
A problem statement helps the team establish and communicate a clear goal at the beginning, and keep them on track during the engagement. It can also be used to validate that the delivered solution solves the stated problem.
It should be created in the Define phase, and could be used as a guide in later phases.
The problem statement should be short and simple, and focus on only one problem. It doesn't need to suggest any solutions. It could be constructed with the following aspects:
- Who is impacted?
- What are the negative impacts?
- Where does it happen?
- When/how often does it happen?
- Why is it important? (optional)
The problem of customers constantly smoking in our rooms affects other customers, who don’t appreciate the smoke and smell, and our housekeeping staff, who spend significantly more time cleaning smoking rooms versus nonsmoking ones, the impact of which is low customer satisfaction, reduced occupancy rates, and increased cleaning costs.
References:
https://www.slideshare.net/SantoshKumarSingh13/how-to-define-business-problem-statement