Define Problem Statement

This does the unsexy but critical work of forcing you to articulate what problem you're actually solving before you build anything. It walks you through identifying a specific user segment (not just "users"), connecting their pain to business impact, and defining success metrics with baselines. The output follows a structured template covering user impact, business context, constraints, and open questions. Honestly, the best use case is when a project has drifted and you need to realign everyone, or when you're about to present to leadership and realize you can't clearly explain why this matters. It's built on frameworks like triple diamond and design thinking, which means it's opinionated about separating problem from solution.

skills.sh installs: 878
GitHub stars: 794
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Problem Statement

A problem statement is a concise document that frames the problem you're solving, articulates the impact on users and the business, and defines clear success criteria. It serves as the foundation for all subsequent product work by ensuring alignment on what problem to solve before jumping to how to solve it.

When to Use

Starting a new initiative or project to establish shared understanding
Realigning a drifted project back to its original intent
Communicating up to leadership or stakeholders about priorities
Evaluating whether a proposed solution actually addresses the core problem
Onboarding new team members to provide context

When NOT to Use

The problem is already agreed and engineering needs the spec -> use deliver-prd
You want to propose and compare solution approaches -> use develop-solution-brief
You are capturing customer motivation rather than a business problem -> use define-jtbd-canvas
The "problem" is really an unvalidated assumption -> frame it with define-hypothesis and test it before committing a team to it