Reframe the Question You’re Trying to Solve

A poorly framed problem can lead to good answers to the wrong question

A manager says, “We need to make employees fill out forms faster.” The team starts looking for incentives, rewards, and timers. But what if people are entering the same information in three places? A better question might be: “How can we reduce unnecessary repetition without losing information we need?”

Reframing isn’t wordplay. It shifts attention from a presumed solution to a person’s underlying need. Try asking: What exactly isn’t working? Why does it matter? Who uses the result? Which parts of the brief are facts, and which are assumptions?

A good creative question leaves room for different approaches. “Which app do we need to buy?” assumes a purchase. “How can we simplify record-keeping?” leaves room for changing the process, training, or using a digital tool. That doesn’t mean all options are equally suitable.

But a question that’s too broad can bring the process to a halt. “How can we improve our whole lives?” has no clear scope. It’s better to focus on a specific situation, people, and conditions—for example, handing over information between two work shifts.

Before coming up with ideas, also write down the constraints: available time, safety, budget, or commitments to customers. Constraints can be useful as long as they don’t hide assumptions that haven’t been checked.

Try it out: Take a sentence that includes “we need to buy,” “we need to add,” or “we need to force.” Rewrite it as a question about the real outcome. Check whether it allows for at least three different solutions.