The goal of problem-solving is to produce a future that you’re happy with, compared to other possible futures.

Problem framing, one of the most commonly used tools for problem solving in business, does not help with this.

Good problem-solving is solution-focused, meaning you start with a clear idea of the future you are trying to create, and then figure out which problems you need to solve to get there.

Problem framing assumes there is some “true” or “best” problem waiting to be uncovered and provides us with a process for discovering that truth.

Importantly, problem framing suggests we need to put off thinking about possible solutions until after we’ve figured out what we want to change. The idea makes intuitive sense, and people often justify it by claiming that focusing on solutions too early can lead you to be painted into a corner.

In my more skeptical moments I describe this process as gathering in a circle and chanting “talk to all the stakeholders” until you have your problem defined. Importantly, there’s no clear way when you focus on the problem to know what’s possible to change.

Problem framing could lead you to say that “needing oxygen is a problem for humans” when you’re considering space travel which paints you into a corner of an oxygen-free existence.  I see problem framing as definitively weaker than my methodology.

Consider “the problem is that my two-year-old won’t put their jacket on to go outside.” Or “the problem is that my partner didn’t take out the trash.” Problem-framing suggests you work with the other person and come to a consensus on what the true problem is.

Unfortunately, you can’t really get to consensus with a two-year-old or they probably would be wearing their jacket already. And with a partner who didn’t take the trash out if that’s their job… you can focus on the problem rather than what you want to be different in the future at your own peril.

My approach to problem-solving is to focus on the solution instead – the change you’re trying to achieve in the world. In problem framing we often hint at these outcomes by describing the problem as an undesirable current state. The two year old who is not wearing a jacket or the overflowing trash can.

But when it comes to the desired future state, we often have more clarity on what specifically needs to happen.

Does it matter if your small child does or doesn’t want to wear a jacket? Not really. To be a good problem-solver if the weather is cold, your focus should be on acceptable future states like how to protect your child from the cold. Choosing to carry their jacket for them and see if they come to their senses is one option, or enforcing a boundary by insisting that you aren’t going to leave until they put on their jacket.

For the overflowing trash, the question is again what future state you want to achieve. Is it just about the trash being emptied? Or is it also that your partner follows through on their share of the household work without reminders.

Good problem-solving is solution-focused, and no checklist for how to write the problem will give you the insight you need.

Only thinking about that future-state will help.