- Select a problem your team will solve
- Learn what a problem statement is
- Write a problem statement for your project
These are the activities for this lesson:
CHOOSING A PROBLEM
You’ve done a lot of brainstorming, researching, and thinking about problems in your community that are worth solving. Now it’s time to focus on just one problem to solve! If you still have not decided on a problem, it might help to have team members advocate for a particular problem and explain why they want to work on it.
Mentor Tip
Best practices: You want your teams to understand the importance of problem selection and its impact on their projects. Have the team think about choosing a problem for Technovation like choosing a problem to work on for a science fair project. You might choose a topic you’re interested in or one that has a big impact. Selecting a problem involves finding something you care about and figuring out how to address it effectively.
If the team is struggling to pick one problem from their list, here are a couple options to try:
- Give each team member one vote and them to vote on the shortlist of problems. The problem with the most votes is the one they should go with.
- Get the team to start brainstorming a solution for their top 2 problems. Whichever solution they seem the more invested in is likely the solution they should work on. They can keep the other conversations about the solution documented, because in case they get to a point where they want to switch they will have a starting place.
Always remind them that they can select one problem this year and work on another problem next year.
Guiding Questions to ask students:
What are some factors you consider when choosing a problem to work on for a project or assignment?
How do you decide if a problem is worth solving or if it is too difficult?
Why is it important to choose a problem that interests you or is relevant to your goals?
Mentor tips are provided by support from AmeriCorps.
ACTIVITY 1: CHOOSING A PROBLEM
Decide on which problem to solve
Note: you can make a copy of the worksheet and edit as needed.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Now that you have an idea for your project, you can start working on your problem statement. A problem statement is a brief piece of writing that explains the problem that your team is addressing.
Later, you will add your solution, but let’s stick to stating the problem for now.
It’s important to write the problem statement together as a team so that you all agree and remain focused on the problem as you move through the rest of the curriculum together.
Your problem statement should answer 4 key questions:
What is the problem?
Who does the problem affect?
How does the problem affect them?
Why is it important to solve?
Your problem statement will be a key part of your project description in your submission. It will also be useful when you outline and create your pitch video.
EXAMPLE: DISCARDIOUS BY TEAM CHARIS
Here is an example of a problem statement from a past Technovation Girls finalist team. Like their statement, your problem statement will become polished as you do research and build upon your idea (note that this is the original team’s statement -it has not been edited).
Calabar is densely populated and results show that 70% of individuals and businesses there store refuse (trash), 95% use open dumps and 65% dump their refuse into gutters. This effect has led to inefficient waste disposal and an unhygienic business and home environment. Business and homeowners have a tight schedule that prevents them from disposing their waste regularly and there are no frequent visit from waste disposal agencies.
ACTIVITY 2: PROBLEM STATEMENT
Write your problem statement
Note: you can make a copy of the worksheet and edit as needed.
REFLECTION
Now that you’ve written your problem statement, you can refer back to it throughout your project.
It will be helpful as you create your business plan, code your app, and write the script for your pitch video.
You can also use it in your project description.
REVIEW OF KEY TERMS
- Problem Statement – a brief piece of writing that explains the problem that your team is addressing
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Here are more examples of problem statements from past Technovation teams. You will add your proposed solution once you come up with one!
Hover over the problem statement to view their pitch video.
ACE (AI Care for Elders) Problem Statement
ACE (AI Care for Elders) Pitch
Aboat Time Problem Statement
This is a direct consequence of lack of sufficient information about lake health and real time monitoring of water quality.
Lake health can be especially hard to track over a period of time, since measuring water quality and testing chemical levels of the water is tedious and equipment is expensive.
