Problem Statement

Use the Problem Statement Canvas to get 100% clear on the problem you plan to solve, why it's a big enough problem to care about, and the potential opportunity to be won if you're successful.

Problem Statement Canvas

PROBLEM AND OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT CANVAS

What's it for?


As an intrapreneur you need to be able to articulate the problem you are solving in very simple terms. It’s the first thing you’ll include in a pitch deck. It’s what any new member of your team will immediately want to understand. And if people aren’t aligned, then they’ll all be solving different problems – which will ultimately lead to failure.

The Problem Statement Canvas has five sections to help you clearly define your problem space. These sections and the associated prompts will enable you to get crystal clear on the problem you’re trying to solve, why it’s worth solving, whether it’s already being solved and how solving the problem will benefit your company.

Use the Problem Statement Canvas to get buy-in from execs and other decision makers in your company, and to get all your stakeholders aligned behind you and you team's goals.

How to Use the Canvas


Step 1.

Start with your vision statement for your internal startup and write that at the top of the sheet.

Step 2.

Next, work left to right across the canvas. Use the information you collected when doing your first-person user research and recorded in your user or buyer persona.

Step 3.

When looking at the alternatives people use today, be sure to look beyond competitor products to consider workarounds and manual processes.

Step 4.

​Explain why this is a big enough problem for your company to want to address. There are lots of different ways to look at this. From latent need and size of the market, to threat from competitors.

Step 5.

​Finally define the business opportunity. What does you company stand to gain if you solve this problem successfully?

The Problem Statement Canvas is one of the tools we teach in the Intrapreneurship Mastery Training Program.

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