Idea Workshop – Week 2 CMU Professor Sheryl Root Adjunct Instructor Rina Levy 9/8/15

Agenda Guest speaker: Rohan Mukherji, CMU SM Alum Problem statement post & review Problem statement selection

Guest Speaker: Rohan Co-founder and CEO, Ibreathe (Mission: to organize all sports & fitness data on the web, making it easier to find and participate at the click of a button.) Business Systems Analyst, Wells Fargo Carnegie Mellon University, SM- Entrepreneur, 2014 University of California, Santa Barbara, BA Economics/CS 2010

Post Problem Statements Read the posted statements Create affinity with statements Place your selection options: 1,2,3 & name Create teams to selected problems

Example: DreamSync “Who you are - Who do you want to be” PROBLEM I am a developer, actually I want to be a rockstar! APPROACH Realise your dreams We can help you connect with experts,like minded people and friends SOLUTION Focused networking Information portal Partner with Groupon, Living Social

Example: Park Smart ● The problem: Finding a parking spot easily ● Market/Competitors: SFPark ● The approach: Understand technology – magnetic sensor The solution: Design solution – wireless communication/ solar powered devices

Circles Method by Lin, PM MS

Steps to defining problem A problem does not exist on its own. Usually a system in which it resides Not considering the system results in pitfall of solving a symptom Root cause: understand the hierarchy and the system that frames the problem Use the 5 Why’s… keep asking, follow the trail Don’t get sidetracked by other problems - Fishbone Understand the scope: identify all the related issues to the root cause Identify all the related problems to root cause and sort into logical groupings - Fishbone Determine initial solution: May be more than 1 Select the most appropriate – might mean pivoting The “elegant” solution will address the system in which the problem resides.

Problem Definition A problem is the difference between the expected/desired state of affairs and the actual state of affairs. A problem statement is a concise description of the issue(s) that must be addressed. Most of the time, a problem is hidden. What is evident are the symptoms of the problem. Don’t make hasty assumptions or solutions before having a clear understanding of the problem. What are your hypotheses?

Questions to address Who is affected by the problem? What are the causes of the problem? When does the problem occur? Where does the problem occur? How is the problem manifested? What is the impact of the problem? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Apply this to your team problem Create a problem statement/definition Identify what you need to know Create an approach/plan Identify people to interview Draft interview questions Practice on each other

Problem Statement Development Define the issue. Considered from the customer’s point of view Clarify why the issue is important. Numbers tell a story What assumptions are you making? Don’t jump to conclusions Create a concise description/question of the issue/opportunity you want to explore. Not the solution Limit jargon

Question the Problem and its Assumptions Do you all agree on the statement? What assumptions have you made? Do you agree on the assumptions? “Maybe it’s not a (blank) problem at all; maybe it’s really a (blank) problem, instead.”

Research!!! Interview users/customers Visit the library. Read. Search the Internet. Ask experts. Conduct experiments. Examine or Visit the competition, if any Read more. Assess previous assumptions & attempts Discuss what you know in your team Read again, share your thoughts