A problem statement is a brief description of an existing situation that a person or organization wants to address. It explains problems prevalent in specific areas that drive people or businesses to act or take an interest in those areas. In research, a problem statement can be used to discuss tangible issues that the researcher may face in the course of the project. If are looking to learn how to write a problem statement, this guide will come in handy.

A problem statement in research provides a context for analysis and in-depth study to help in understanding and solving a problem. Before getting into the details of how to write a problem statement, it is essential to understand the following:

• To introduce the significance of analyzing or studying a specific issue or topic.
• To place the problem into a specific context that reflects the factors needed to analyze or study.
• To provide information about the tools needed and the way the analysis or study will present the required information.

People use problem statements as elements in research that outlines problems answered by an analysis or a study. They also use them as communication tools to get support from those involved. Based on the problem statement definition, you can see that it tries to answer the fundamental question: What is the problem your team or what is the research is trying to address?

But how should you write a problem statement, and what problem statement format should you follow? This article will show you two examples of problem statements and how to write them.

How to write a problem statement

Every problem statement has certain elements that answer the following questions:

Ultimately, the goal of a problem statement is to alter in a broad problem into a direct and precise problem – an issue that others can resolve through decision-making and research.

Problem statement outline

Your problem statement should have three main parts:

1. The ideal situation

You must describe the desired goal. Your objective is to explain to others why it is necessary to alter the current state of affairs.

2. The reality

You must describe a situation that is preventing the realization of the goal or state in the ideal case above. Explain how the present condition is falling short of the ideal or goal.

3. The effects

You must identify the different ways that you are suggesting to improve the present condition. It is through this identification that you will move a step closer to realizing the goal.

These three sections form the basis of a problem statement format. The following is an example of a problem statement based on the format above.

• The ideal situation: According to their goal, ABC College strives to give students a desirable and secure academic environment. The college has identified dorm rooms as the essential structures of achieving their goal. This is because over 60% of their students use the dorms for study. Also, they live in those dormitories and spend most of their time working in the rooms.
• The reality: But presently, those rooms do not have enough air cooling systems. In hot periods, temperatures in the dorms rise to 30 degrees Celsius. The high temperatures are affecting students, and many of them are reporting that they are finding it hard to work and sleep in their dorm rooms. The dormitories are uncomfortable and are preventing students from being productive and achieving their academic excellence.
• The effects: To respond to this situation, this research aims to examine possible solutions for ensuring the dormitories are friendly to students. The study will investigate the option of buying new air conditioners. It will consider different ways that will help to reduce some of the problems mentioned above.

From this sample problem statement, you can tell it is describing an existing situation that students in ABC College are currently facing. It is also trying to give answers to the FIVE Ws mentioned above.

Step-by-step guide of writing a problem statement

While the above example is a simple format on how to write a statement of a problem, consider the following problem statement writing tips:

1. Describe your goal

Always start your statement by describing your goal or the state you desire for the given phenomenon or condition. The purpose is to help you build an ideal situation of what is desired or should be.

2. What is preventing the goal?

In this section, you have the chance of describing a situation that is currently preventing the realization of the goal above. This will help you to build a reality and show gaps between what should be and what the present situation is.

3. Bring steps one and two together

You should bring together sections one and two by using connecting terms like “however” or “yet.” In the example of ABC College, the connecting term is "BUT."

4. Use specific details

Here, you should demonstrate how the phenomena in section two do not indicate improvement any time soon unless those involved take action. You should then put more emphasis on the benefits of doing the research by painting an image of the effects of potential solutions to the phenomena.

Here is a second example of how to write and how to format a problem statement using the above steps.

• Section 1: The Kenyan government has a goal of industrializing the country by 2030. Currently, it is encouraging the growth of small and medium enterprises which should grow into large enterprises in future. The large enterprises will have the capacity to contribute to the goal of industrializing the country. There are many programs put in place that contain all the necessary measures of encouraging and supporting SMEs.
• Section 2 and 3: Despite the efforts put in place by the Kenyan government, small and medium enterprises in the country are growing at a slow rate. The slow growth has made the government acknowledge that there is an existing gap that is making it difficult for SMEs to grow to large enterprises.
• Section 4: Should the gap continue to exist, it will be difficult for Kenya to achieve its industrialization goal. As such, there is a need for investigating why they said gap still exists despite all the efforts put in place.

You can also check out more examples of a problem statement to get a clear idea of the concept.

Other tips to follow when writing a problem statement include:

• Always look for a problem and not the solution.
• If you find the problem, focus on it. Focusing on many problems creates confusion.
• Keep your statement short and precise. It should be at most three sentences long.
• Ensure your problem statement accurately distinguishes between a problem and a symptom. Use the FIVE Ws to achieve this.
• Avoid blame and bias when writing a problem statement.
• Do not underwrite your problem statement. Make it simple because the problem is familiar to you.

Your problem statement should be brief and well-balanced. It should be ready for group discussions or brainstorming. Do not make it ambiguous, and ensure it does not have any assumptions. This is the only way that people will understand what you are trying to achieve or communicate.

Before writing a problem statement, take time to consider what makes it useful. It is also vital that you look at many problem statement examples to have an idea of what to write about. You should always write a statement of a problem with your audience in mind. Also, it should be able to convince the parties involved to offer more resources that will help in solving the problem.

Although a problem statement should be brief, sometimes giving little information reduces your chances of taking the specific action, obtaining necessary resources, and enlisting support. The best way on how to write a problem statement is to avoid giving any indication about the causes of a problem or the actions the management should be taking to solve it, just as indicated in the example of problem statement given above. Furthermore, you should not solve a problem when writing a statement of the problem.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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