Activity
Draft a problem statement
If you have clearly identified your problem, then it is time to develop a problem statement. This is an articulation of your initial understanding of the problem.
If you have identified an opportunity, make sure that you go back and use one or two of the activities and exercises to ensure that there is a real problem that you are addressing. In the end, an opportunity is essentially a response to a problem that mobilises latent capabilities that haven’t yet been exploited for greatest effect.
If you have clearly identified your problem, then it is time to develop a problem statement. This is an articulation of your initial understanding of the problem. As you move through the Recognition stage, you will find that your understanding of the problem area expands and deepens. But articulating the problem statement at this point is a significant step in the overall Recognition process.
Problem Statement
In your project team review each aspect of the Problem Statement as it stands: how you have articulated and framed the problem, where it occurs, and who it affects. Discuss and decide on any changes that are required, based on the information gathering and analysis you have done.
Although by this point you will have given the issues at hand much consideration, your articulation of the problem will still be tentative. You have not carried out exhaustive research, and you will still have some assumptions. Such is the ‘messy’ exploratory nature of innovation. You will also need to incorporate information from the previous module, regarding the symptoms, causes, contributing factors, importance and parameters of the problem space.
