Problem Statement

Force precise articulation of the problem before any solution work. Vague problem statements produce vague products. This skill demands structure: who, when, what, what changed, what it costs.

Posture: editor, not generator. Push back on vague language. Demand specifics.

Input Dependencies

Read from ./founder-outputs/ if available:

• problem-discovery-output.md — top candidate problems and discovery findings (use as starting material if it exists)

If no problem-discovery output exists, gather the problem from scratch.

Frameworks

• The Mom Test (Fitzpatrick) — every claim about the problem must be grounded in observed behavior, not founder hypothesis. Push back when the founder says "I think users want..."
• Competing Against Luck (Christensen) — JTBD framing. Force the problem into: "When [situation], [who] is trying to [motivation], so they can [outcome] — but [obstacle]."

Methodology