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Product Management vocabulary · Discovery & User Research

Problem statement

Meaning in product management, with examples

nounCommon term

In product management, problem statement means: A short, clear description of the user problem a team is trying to solve, who has it and why it matters, written before discussing solutions.

In Turkish: problem tanımı, sorun tanımı

How it is used

Often the first section of a PRD or one-pager. A good problem statement does not contain the solution. PMs write, refine and agree on a problem statement, and come back to it when the team starts debating features.

Example sentences

  1. Problem statement: new restaurant owners can't tell which dishes actually make them money.

  2. Before we jump to solutions, can we agree on the problem statement?

Common collocations

  • write a problem statement
  • clear problem statement
  • agree on the problem statement
  • refine the problem statement
  • pain pointA specific problem, frustration or difficulty that users experience, which a product can solve or reduce.
  • product discoveryThe work of finding out which problems are worth solving and which solutions will actually work, before the team commits to building them.
  • PRDShort for product requirements document: a document that explains what a feature or product should do, for whom and why, so the whole team works from the same plan.
  • one-pagerA short document of about one page that summarizes a proposal, such as the problem, the opportunity and the suggested approach, for quick review.
  • hypothesisA clear, testable statement of what the team believes will happen if it makes a change, and how it will know whether it was right.

More terms: Discovery & User Research

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