Define Problem Statement Agent Skill

Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria. Use when starting a new initiative, realigning a drifted project, or communicating up to leadership.

4k tokens

context cost

the whole folder, loaded on every use

files

instructions only

copies elsewhere

how many repositories repackaged it

516

stars on the repo

on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository

npx skills add https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement

The instruction itself

7 sections, as written by the author

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

Instructions

When asked to create a problem statement, follow these steps:

Identify the User Segment

Ask who is experiencing this problem. Get specific about the user persona, role, or segment. Avoid vague descriptions like "users" - instead target "mobile shoppers completing checkout" or "enterprise admins managing 50+ users."

Understand the Pain Points

Explore what friction, frustration, or unmet need the user experiences. Ask probing questions to understand the severity and frequency of the problem. Look for evidence from user research, support tickets, or behavioral data.

Establish Business Context

Connect the user problem to business impact. How does this problem affect revenue, retention, growth, or strategic goals? Why should the organization invest in solving this now versus later?

Define Success Metrics

Identify how you will measure success. What metrics will move if this problem is solved? Establish current baselines and target improvements. Be specific and time-bound.

Surface Constraints and Considerations

Note any technical limitations, resource constraints, regulatory requirements, or dependencies that will shape the solution space.

Capture Open Questions

Document what you don't know yet. What assumptions need validation? What additional research is needed?

Output Format

Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md to structure the output. A complete problem statement fills every template section: Problem Summary; User Impact; Business Context; Success Criteria; Constraints & Considerations; and Open Questions.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

[ ] Problem is specific to a defined user segment (not "all users")
[ ] Impact is quantified with data or reasonable estimates
[ ] Success metrics have baselines and targets
[ ] Problem describes the "what" without prescribing the "how"
[ ] Business context explains why this matters now
[ ] Open questions are captured for follow-up

Examples

See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.

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3k tokens

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take product-on-purpose/define-problem-statement from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.