[5 min. read]
You walk into a Monday morning meeting. The energy’s off. Sales are down. Support tickets have spiked. Ideas fly around the room—change the pricing, launch a new campaign, add another feature. But no one’s asking the most important question: “What’s really going on here?”
Problem solving boils down to four simple steps: Define • Structure • Prioritize • Do (DSPD).
Use DSPD to align the room, pinpoint root causes, and drive action. It helps you pause just long enough to diagnose—then move fast in the right direction.
A problem is the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
This is your go-to framework for tackling real-world, messy problems—the kind where something's broken, unclear, or just not working the way it should.
Define the Problem
Slow down to get clarity. Use the CLEAR and TOSCA frameworks to remove ambiguity, uncover pain points, and align on what really needs solving.
Structure to Root Causes
Break the problem down to uncover and verify root causes. Use tools like the Issue Tree, 5 Whys, yes/no Tree or a Fishbone Diagram.
Prioritize & Plan
Don’t fix everything. Focus on the few causes that will drive the biggest results. Use Impact vs. Effort, ICE, and the 80/20 Rule, then turn choices into a simple action plan.
Do & Learn — PDCA
Execute with a learning loop. Turn ideas into hypotheses, run pilots/A-B tests, review metrics on a cadence, and iterate using PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act).
“A clear mind solves better. DSPD brings clarity to chaos.”
Many problems start fuzzy. You hear words like "engagement," "growth," or "performance"—but what do they really mean?
Ambiguity is your first enemy. If you can't clearly define the problem, you can't solve it. That's why top consultants and problem-solvers slow down before speeding up.
Failing to properly state the problem will almost always lead to bad solutions. There is no right problem definition—but there are many wrong ones. That’s why frameworks like TOSCA are so valuable. They give you a complete picture and help you avoid blind spots. And for complex challenges, remember: defining the problem is often an iterative process. You may need to clarify, reframe, and empathize before you can move forward.
The CLEAR Framework to Clarify Any Problem
Use this 5-step method to transform a vague issue into a clearly defined challenge:
| Step |
What It Means |
Example Questions |
| C – Clarify the language |
Ask what vague words really mean |
“What do we really mean by ‘growth’?” |
| L – Look for examples |
Make it concrete with real situations |
“What does it look like when this works well?” |
| E – Empathize with people |
Talk to those involved to find pain points |
“Where do you get stuck or frustrated?” |
| A – Adjust the lens |
Reframe: flip it, zoom in/out, change perspective |
“What’s the bigger challenge?” |
| R – Refine with structure |
Use TOSCA: Trouble, Owner, Success, Constraints, Actors |
“What does solved look like? Who’s involved?” |
Use CLEAR anytime a problem feels undefined. It’s your gateway to clarity, alignment, and confident progress.
🔧 Example: TOSCA in Action
Problem: A coaching business is not profitable enough.
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Trouble: Low profit
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Owner: The founder of the coaching business
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Success: Increase profit by 50% in 2 years
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Constraints: No new hires, no extra debt
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Actors: Coaches and clients
Clear problem statement: How can we increase profit by 50% within the next 2 years without hiring new personnel and without taking on debt?
Once clarified, the problem becomes either:
"Fix It" Problem
Something is broken or unclear. Needs analysis and structure.
Example: “Sales dropped by 30% in Q2”
Story: A gym struggles with cancellations. The real issue? Poor staff service during peak hours. Fixing scheduling solves the problem.
"Improve It" Problem
Something could be improved, created, or reimagined. These problems need creativity, exploration, and open-ended thinking.
Example: “How could we grow faster?”
Story: A coffee shop explores loyalty programs, breakfast offers, and ends up launching a successful subscription plan.
Note: The rest of the DSPD framework focuses on “Fix It” problems — where something’s not working and needs clarity. For “Improve It” challenges, use creative tools like brainstorming, SCAMPER, or design sprints to generate fresh ideas and explore new directions.
"Unclear" Problem
You can’t solve this yet—you must first define it.
Example: A school wants more “engagement” but doesn’t know what it means. After interviews, they co-create a test week based on student needs.
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” – Albert Einstein
Bottom Line: Until a problem is clearly stated, don’t jump into solving it. Use CLEAR to clarify—then decide if you’re solving a "Fix It" or "Improve It" problem.
An
Issue Tree helps you break a complex problem into smaller, focused questions. Think of it like a tree: your main problem is the trunk, and the causes are branches that you explore step by step.
Example of an Issue Tree for structured problem breakdown
When to use it:
- 🔍 The problem is
- 🧠 You need a structured way to explore many possible causes
- 👥 You're working alone or want a logic-based breakdown
How to use it:
- Start with the core problem
- Ask: “What could be causing this?” — these are your first-level questions
Break each of those into sub-questions if neededContinue until each question leads to something specific you can investigate or test
Example:
How can we increase profit by 50% in the next 2 years without hiring new staff or taking on debt?
- 1. How can we increase revenue?
- 1.1 How can we charge more for each coaching?
- 1.2 How can we do more coaching?
- 2. How can we reduce cost?
- 2.1 How can we pay less for rent?
- 2.2 How can we pay less for marketing?
- 2.3 Where else could we save money?
Want something faster?
❓ Try 5 Whys — same idea, but linear. You ask “Why?” repeatedly until you find the root cause. Ideal for smaller or urgent problems. Just one line, one path.
🎨 Try a Fishbone Diagram (also called Ishikawa diagram). It's similar to an Issue Tree, but visual — perfect for whiteboards or team workshops. Causes are grouped into categories like People, Process, Tools, Environment.
🪓Yes/No Tree (fast filter) Use simple binary questions to quickly narrow branches. Example: Is the drop concentrated in first-time buyers? Yes → onboarding branch; No → pricing branch.
Goal: Choose the few actions that will move the target metric fastest—and make them runnable now.
Step 0 (optional): Quick Shortlist — pick ONE tool
Use this only if you have more than 5 options. Otherwise skip to Step 1.
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Impact–Effort Matrix — Plot fast; keep high-impact / low-effort.
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80/20 Rule — Which 20% of causes drive 80% of the gap?
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Cost–Benefit — Compare expected gain vs. total cost.
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Constraint-First — Tackle the single blocker that unlocks the rest.
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Pros/Cons + Criteria Matrix — List pros/cons, then weight key criteria (e.g., Impact, Cost, Risk, Time) and score 1–5; sum weight × score for a transparent pick.
Steps 1–3: 3–2–1 Prioritize & Plan
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3 criteria (ICE) — Score finalists on Impact, Confidence, Ease (1–5). ICE = I × C × E.
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Top 2 picks — Keep your two highest ICE scores.
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1-page plan — Write a mini Design Plan for the winner.
Quick ICE (copy/paste)
| Option |
Impact (1–5) |
Confidence (1–5) |
Ease (1–5) |
ICE = I×C×E |
Notes |
| Simplify checkout steps |
5 |
4 |
4 |
80 |
Largest drop at step 3 |
| Offer guest checkout |
4 |
3 |
5 |
60 |
Very low lift |
| Promo code at checkout |
3 |
3 |
4 |
36 |
Risk of distraction |
Tip: For Confidence, use real evidence (past tests, analytics, expert input). For Ease, consider time, cost, and dependencies.
Design Plan (1 page)
One-sentence template: Test [Hypothesis] on [Issue] because [Rationale] by [Activities/Analyses], using [Info Source].
Example:
| Issue |
Hypothesis |
Rationale |
Activities / Analyses |
Info Source |
| Checkout drop-off (first-time EU buyers) |
A 1-step flow will raise completion to ≥45% in 4 weeks |
35% abandon at step 3; users report friction |
A/B test 3-step vs 1-step; 5 usability tests; error log review |
GA4 funnels, session replays, usability notes |
Add: Owner = Growth Ops • Metric & Threshold = Completion ≥45% • Decision Rule = Scale if ≥45%, tweak if 40–44%, stop if <40% • Start = Oct 1
Definition of Done → ready for Do & Learn:
- (If >5 options) Quick shortlist done with one tool
- ICE scored; top 2 selected
- Winner chosen; key risks noted
- Design Plan complete (1 page) with owner, metric, threshold, decision rule, start date
Objective:
Don’t just act on assumptions — test them. The goal is to find what actually works before you scale, commit resources, or make major decisions.
Action:
Turn your best ideas into testable hypotheses. Then, validate them through data, small experiments, or feedback from real users. This keeps you from wasting time and effort on solutions that don’t deliver.
Example:
Hypothesis: “If we simplify the checkout process, more customers will complete their purchase.” Test: A/B test the new checkout flow with 50% of site traffic and compare conversion rates.
🧠 What is a Hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a statement you believe might be true — and can test. It's a clear guess about what will solve the problem and why.
Formula:
"If we [do this], then [this result] will happen because [reason]."
Example:
“If we offer an onboarding tutorial, users will be more likely to complete setup because they’ll understand the product faster.”
📐 Use the Hypothesis Pyramid
The Hypothesis Pyramid helps you break your solution idea into smaller, testable pieces — so you can validate each assumption step by step.
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Top of the Pyramid: Your main solution idea
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Middle Level: Sub-hypotheses — what needs to be true for the solution to work
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Bottom Level: Data or experiments to test each one
Example: Main Hypothesis: “We should launch an online coaching service to grow revenue.”
- Sub-Hypothesis 1: There’s enough demand for online coaching.
- Sub-Hypothesis 2: Our coaches are willing to work online.
- Sub-Hypothesis 3: Clients are willing to pay for it.
- Sub-Hypothesis 4: It's cost-effective to launch.
→ Each of these can be tested separately — through surveys, pilot programs, interviews, or quick experiments.
🛠 Tools to Help You Test:
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A/B Testing – Compare two versions of something (e.g. landing page, pricing) to see which performs better.
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Pilot Programs – Try a small version of the solution before full rollout.
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User Interviews & Surveys – Ask directly for feedback to test assumptions.
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Analytics – Use behavioral data to validate what users are doing (not just saying).
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Hypothesis Tracker – Write down each hypothesis, how you’ll test it, and the result — so your thinking stays visible and disciplined.
Pro Tip:
Start lean — test with the smallest version of your idea (MVP-style) to learn fast without big risk.
