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Hey Reader 👋🏻

Earlier this week I joined my friend Hanna Green at her Wine and Design meet-up (a great combo, right?!), during her talk, Hanna said something that really landed with me:

“A problem well understood is a problem half solved.”

It’s one of those phrases that applies everywhere, but it’s especially true in People Ops and PX. Too often, we rush to the shiny solutions - a new HRIS, a revamped performance review cycle, the latest wellbeing initiative that Netflix rolled out - without ever taking the time to really understand and define the problem we’re trying to solve.

If we can be really honest about, when we skip the problem definition stage and jump straight to solutions, we end up wasting a ton of time, energy, and in many case (precious) budget to create… “HR fluff” - I am talk programmes that look good on paper but fail to land, processes which cause more friction not less, a disjointed and confusing HR tech stack… lots of stuff, low value, and in the worst case a dent in your credibility (and that of the People team).

If you have been reading / listening to me for any amount of time, you will have heard me repeatedly emphasise the importance of being problem-led over solution-led 👇🏻

I think the simplest place to start to ensure you are working in a problem-led way is to build the habit of creating well defined problem statements before even considering what a solution might look like.

Problem Statements

A good problem statement keeps you from drifting into solution-first thinking and instead anchors your discovery in real user problems and impact.

Instead of a solution statement: ❌ “We need a new HRIS system.”

Which leads you down a rabbit hole of demos, RFPs, and expensive implementations that might not even address the real pain...

Try a problem statement: ✅ “New employees struggle to get access to the tools and information they need in their first two weeks. This leads to frustration, delayed productivity, and higher early turnover.”

Which sets you up to explore a range of possible solutions - and a new HRIS might be one of them, but not the only one.

See the difference? One is solution-first (we must do X). The other is problem-first (we must solve X).

✍🏻How to Write a Strong Problem Statement

Before writing your problem statement I would encourage you to spend some time mapping out as much as you know about the problem using these 5 categories as a guide:

1️⃣Problem - What is actually happening?

→ Focus on behaviours and lived experiences, not vague complaints. (“Performance conversations feel rushed and unclear” is better than “We need better reviews.”)

2️⃣Evidence - How do we know the problem actually exists?

→ Make sure there is observable and measurable evidence of the problem, don’t mistake anecdote for data - As a general rule, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

3️⃣Users - Who is affected?

→ Be as specific as possible - is it first time managers? New hires? Remote employees? Execs? - I would always encourage initial focus to be on the worst affected end user, specifically where problem affects multiple user groups to greater or lesser degree.

4️⃣Context - Where and when is it happening?

→ It’s really important to get as close to the problem as possible to experience it in the context of the affected user(s). This is where good user discovery comes in, don’t assume anything, go and find out from those most affected.

5️⃣Impact - Why does it matter?

→ Use real data points to map the impact the problem is having on employees and the business, the compounding cost of inaction, and the possible upside of taking action. Initially you may not have this data, so a top line description of the observable impact is good enough at this stage.

Once you have a pretty good understanding of these 5 areas you are ready to write your problem statement. Keep it concise and focused, no wasted words or irrelevant information.

You can use this simple structure solo or with your team to create your problem statement:

1. Who → State the specific group experiencing the problem.
2. What → Describe the behaviour or experience clearly and factually.
3. Why → Show the impact (on employees and the business).

Good vs bad problem statements

I am keeping these examples extremely simple, your actual good problem statements will be better than these because you will be able to draw on real examples and specific information.

Performance reviews

❌ Bad: “We need a new performance review tool.”

✅ Good: “Managers and employees both report performance conversations feel rushed and unclear, leading to frustration and missed development opportunities.”

Onboarding

❌ Bad: “Our HRIS isn’t working, we need a new one.”

✅ Good: “New employees report confusion during their first week, with delays in getting equipment and system access, causing lost productivity, negative first impressions, and retention risks.”

Wellbeing

❌ Bad: “We should launch a wellbeing programme.”

✅ Good: “Employees have flagged high stress in manager 1:1 and employee surveys, absenteeism is increasing 15% year-on-year. We have a real burnout risk which is causing health problems for our people, as well as major productivity and performance loss”

There you have it, simple as that!

There are multiple frameworks and approaches to writing problem statements - You can find loads of articles and videos talking through problem statements, why they are important, and how to write one. I would encourage you to go down a 30-minute rabbit hole of research on this.

Seriously, just 30 mins and you will have a pretty good steer and you will be able to pick an approach (or combination of approaches) which feels right for you.

I spent 10 minutes reading Figma, Mural, and Nielson articles on problem statements to reengage my brain on the topic before I wrote this newsletter in fact. A quick google or a conversation with ChatGPT and you will be off! 🚀

And remember - as with all the concepts I share, you don’t need to be an expert with this stuff, you just need to know enough to get started - you will refine your approach as you go.

My Challenge to You

Pick one initiative you’re currently working on and follow the steps I have laid out in this newsletter (or choose an alternative approach from your own research). Then, write a problem statement and use it to guide the next phase of your discovery before you get deep into solution mode.

I’d love for you to share examples with me and any reflections on how/if it altered the solution you ultimately action - I may even feature a few strong examples in a future edition of the newsletter 👀

Whether you share your examples or not, I would encourage you to make problem statements a ritual at the start of all your projects, big and small, because if Hanna’s right (and she is), then half your solution starts with accurately understanding and communicating the problem.

OK, that’s a wrap for this week.

Grab your coffee and open up your inbox same time next week for more insights, tips, and resource flags on how to smash HR silos, add strategic value and turn your People function into a growth driver 🚀

With love,

Luke ✌🏻

PS, when you are ready you might like...

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