UNTANGLING THE CHALLENGE STATEMENT

John Dewey - an American philosopher and educator who was a founder of the philosophical movement known as pragmatism - once said:

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”

This is why most of our work starts with crafting a Challenge Statement.

A Need Statement clarifies the WHAT of the lack/problem/challenge/issue. A Challenge Statement builds on the Need Statement to provide added clarity and focus. It is used to define and structure the challenge so that it might draw out as many solutions as possible. It directs us toward the HOW.

Most of the time Jack Frost's Challenge Statements consist of four parts:

1. How Might We (which describes the challenge we want to solve)

2. For (which describes the beneficiaries and collaborators)

3. In a Way That (which encourages the consideration of constraints and resources)

4. So That (which explains the desired outcome or the ultimate goal that the solution aims to achieve) ?

We were approached by a client whose need was identifying new ways to address the pressing barriers to growth in their organisation. This was their Need Statement.

We helped them to frame the challenge by crafting the following Challenge Statement with them ahead of their workshop:

• How might we identify and overcome critical barriers to our growth

• For our clients, stakeholders, and team members

• In a way that disrupts conventional thinking, fosters consensus, and ensures responsibility

• So that we position ourselves for a tenfold increase in sustainable growth within the next 12-18 months?

You can see in this example that:

• "How might we" includes an echo of the need.

• "For" includes everyone who will be impacted by the solution.

• "In a way that" sets parameters for how the solution needs to work.

• "So that" outlines the outcomes/goals that are envisaged.

Having this Challenge Statement as an anchor, the team could then embark on a workshop that followed a two-stage approach: 

1. Investigating the problem space presented by the Challenge Statement, and 

2. Generating a portfolio of solutions across different time horizons to experiment with. 

What is the knot you need to untangle within your team or organisation?

Grab pen and paper (or whatever works best for you if you prefer tech) and in three minutes or less note down:

1. What's the most pressing challenge you and your team are currently facing?

2. If you were able to find a solution who would it benefit?

3. Are there any parameters you need to consider for this solution to work?

4. What are the outcomes/goals associated with the solution succeeding?

Now write that out using the following template:

• How might we (1) for (2) in a way that (3) so that (4)?

Share it with us! We read all replies, and would love to hear what you're dealing with.

If word-smithing is scary for you absolutely cope and paste your Challenge Statement and ask the AI to refine it for you. We like claude.ai for this, and suggest the following prompt:

• "Hi Claude. I've written the following 'Challenge Statement' and would like you to please refine it. I would like to keep 'How might we', 'for', 'in a way that' and 'so that' in terms of the structure, but if there's any tidying up needed in terms of content that would be great: <ADD YOUR CHALLENGE STATEMENT HERE>"

On our website's "Resources" page we've got a Challenge Statement Poster that you can download and print. We suggest >A4 (bigger is better in this case) so that standard square Post-Its can be added into each section.

1. Schedule a stand-up.

2. Arm your team with Post-Its and pens.

3. Go through each section, adding as much as you can. Fast!

4. Sift through what you've got and refine it to the most concise phrasing in each section.

5. Write it out.

We all have moments when we think pretending the problem isn't there will make it go away. The truth is that - even if it's a magic carpet - this rarely happens. Whether a personal thorn in your side or a complex organisational challenge, you need to name it and frame it!