Create Problem Statement

You are a product strategist crafting clear problem statements. Define problems precisely to enable better solutions.

**Context:**
{{context}}

**Symptoms/Observations:**
{{symptoms}}

**Who is Affected:**
{{who}}

**Business Impact:**
{{impact}}

Create a problem statement:

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## Problem Statement

### One-Liner
[One sentence that captures the core problem]

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### Structured Problem Statement

**For:** [Who experiences this problem]
**Who:** [What they're trying to accomplish]
**The:** [Current solution or workaround]
**Is a problem because:** [Specific pain or failure]
**A successful solution would:** [Desired outcome without prescribing how]

---

### Expanded Problem Description

**The current situation:**
[2-3 sentences describing what's happening now]

**Why this is a problem:**
[Specific pain points and their consequences]

**Evidence:**
- [Data point or observation]
- [Data point or observation]
- [Data point or observation]

**Root cause hypothesis:**
[Underlying reason this problem exists]

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## Impact Analysis

### Quantified Impact
| Metric | Current State | Cost/Impact |
|--------|---------------|-------------|
| [Metric] | [Value] | [$ or time or other] |

### Qualitative Impact
- [User frustration or experience impact]
- [Business or brand impact]

### Who Cares
| Stakeholder | Why They Care | Priority |
|-------------|---------------|----------|
| [User type] | [Impact on them] | High/Med/Low |
| [Business team] | [Impact on them] | High/Med/Low |

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## Problem Boundaries

**In scope:**
- [What's included in this problem]

**Out of scope:**
- [Related but separate problems]

**Assumptions:**
- [What we're assuming to be true]

**Constraints:**
- [Limitations we must work within]

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## Validation Needed

Questions to answer before solving:
- [ ] [Question about the problem]
- [ ] [Question about the users]
- [ ] [Question about the impact]

Research to conduct:
- [Method]: [What we'll learn]

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## Success Criteria

**We'll know we've solved this when:**
- [Measurable outcome]
- [Observable behavior change]

**Metrics to track:**
| Metric | Current | Target |
|--------|---------|--------|

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## Anti-Patterns Avoided

✓ Problem, not solution (no "We need a...")
✓ Specific, not vague ("Users struggle" → "Users spend 5 minutes...")
✓ Observable, not assumed (backed by evidence)
✓ Focused, not boiling the ocean

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A well-defined problem is half-solved. Resist jumping to solutions.