This document discusses how to define problem statements and success metrics in a customer-centric way that aligns functions across an organization. It provides tips for crafting problem statements by observing customer pain points, measuring relevant data, and identifying impacted parties. The document also discusses using controllable metrics, measurable customer behavior changes, and process improvements to define success. It emphasizes aligning stakeholders on success metrics and requirements to ensure shared understanding of goals.
7. Content
► Defining a problem statement that resonates
► Tips for crafting the problem statement
► Articulating what success looks like to gain momentum
► Inputs you can use to define success
10. Problem Statement
❑ Observe
✔ Discovery “How would customers find this?”
✔ Frustration “Is it easy truly easy to buy from the phone screen?”
✔ Latency “Isn’t this taking too long to load?”
❑ Measure*
✔ 67% of customers found product using search, but 52% of those who bought used browse
✔ Cart abandonments are 25% higher on mobile than desktop for this product category
✔ This banner loads in 0.4 sec when customers navigate away from a page in under 0.2 sec
❑ Identify Impacted party
✔ End customers e.g. Customers face issues in identifying product specifications
✔ Stakeholders e.g. This feature maintenance is costly for technical teams
✔ Business e.g. The absence of this feature, results in lost opportunity worth millions
*All data in presentation is used for illustration purposes only
11. Problem Statement | Artefacts
✔ Map out individual discovery points for customers “How would customers find this?”
✔ Talk through potential customer frustrations “Is it easy truly easy to buy from the phone
screen?”
✔ Take inputs from technical teams on latency metrics “Isn’t this taking too long to load?”
Design Sprints Walk the store User stories/Anecdotes Analytics
Key takeaway: Use customer problem identification as an alignment point across functions
13. Success Definition*
❑ Controllable Inputs
✔ Actions & metrics that can be explained with presence/absence of effort or correlation
✔ “We audited top products (~5% of total) that contribute to 60% of defects and found 3 root
causes. We are now checking for actions to address these, and will dedicate resources to scale
solutions found”
❑ Measure change in observable customer behavior
✔ Identify customer behavior that changed post action and measure trends on same
✔ “After rollout of this experience, we see customer spending more time considering alternative
products, increasing click through rates 10% consistently for 6 consecutive weeks”
❑ Process improvement
✔ State how the change or solution proposed improved existing process to lead to better utilization
of assets e.g. reduced maintenance cost, better productivity etc.
✔ “An increase in automation led to 2x improvement in return processing times and 25 hours/week
time saved”
*All data in presentation is used for illustration purposes only
14. Success Definition | Artefacts
✔ Align stakeholders on success metrics prior to launch of experience.
✔ Define the “acceptance criteria”. What are the objective ways of defining outcome ? Define scope as much as
possible upfront.
✔ Spend quality time on crafting requirements. Plan to have couple of rounds vetting them with core
stakeholders to align on priority.
✔ Set up milestones that act as signposts for team. This helps stakeholders align on project phase and react to
needs accordingly.
Key takeaway: Define what success means, and share widely across stakeholders.