Start with your Requirement row
You've written your problem statement, which says what's wrong. Now you'll write your solution statement, which says what you're going to do about it.
Start with the Requirement row in your chart. It already lists what your project needs to do.
The example chart from the previous page
Look at the Requirement row. The faded rows are what you already used for your problem statement.
| Row labels | Feedback #1Source: Interview 1, parent | Feedback #2Source: Interview 2, participant | Feedback #3Source: Interview 3, community organizer | Feedback #4Source: Facebook group post, parent | Feedback #5Source: Interview 1, parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VerbatimWhat is the customer saying? | “The workshop was great but I forgot most of it by the next week.” | “I took notes but never looked at them again.” | “It's hard to find a time when everyone can come.” | “My kid loved it, then we heard nothing until the next session.” | “Honestly, I couldn't tell you what we covered in week two.” |
| NeedWhat does the customer need? | A way to keep using what they learned after the session. | Something to go back to after the session. | A schedule that fits around people's weeks. | A connection between sessions. | A way to remember what was covered. |
| RequirementWhat is required to fulfill the customer need? | A short follow-up activity each week. | A one-page recap to take home. | Two time options for each session. | A short follow-up activity each week. | A one-page recap to take home. |
This example is made up, for illustration.
How to write one
Look at the requirements for your strongest pattern
In the chart above, the green cells are the requirements for the strongest pattern. There are two ideas: a short follow-up activity each week, and a one-page recap to take home.
Keep the ones that matter most
Choose one to three. Keep the ones heard from more than one source, or the ones that would do the most to meet the need. In the example, both ideas show up twice, so we keep both. You don't have to use every requirement. What you leave out can come later.
Put them in a sentence
Say what you're building or doing, what it includes, and what it helps people do. One or two sentences is plenty.
[What you're building or doing] with [what it includes], so [who] can [what they're trying to do].
We're running a workshop series with a short follow-up activity each week and a one-page recap to take home, so participants can keep using what they learn between sessions.
This is a first draft, made up for illustration. You'll refine it as you build your Innovation Plan.
What makes it strong
Too vague
A program that helps participants learn better.
Stronger
We're running a workshop series with a short follow-up activity each week and a one-page recap to take home, so participants can keep using what they learn between sessions.
- Specific. It names what you're actually doing, like a workshop series or a booking tool.
- Connected. Read it next to your problem statement. Does one clearly answer the other?
- Grounded. Every part traces back to your Requirement row.
- Doable. It describes a first version you could start in the next few months, not your whole vision. Your long term goal comes later.
- Plain. One or two sentences, in words anyone could follow.
If it feels too big or fuzzy, shrink it. A small solution you can test beats a big one you can't.
Why it matters
It guides your plan
Everything after this depends on it. You can't set a goal, name who can help, or estimate a budget for “help people.” You can for “a workshop series with a weekly follow-up.”
It keeps you honest
A strong solution traces back to what people told you. If a piece of it doesn't, you're building from your own idea, not from your evidence.
It gives you something to test
Later you'll put what you build in front of real people, and this tells you what to look for. It's also the sentence you'll use when a mentor, partner, or funder asks what you're doing.
Where this goes in your Innovation Plan
This is the Understand box from your Innovation Plan. The green box is what you built on this page.
Who is the key stakeholder and what is their problem?
Stakeholder:
From your problem statement on the previous page.
Problem:
From your problem statement on the previous page.
What solution does your initiative offer?
Solution Statement:
Your first draft: one or two sentences on what you're building or doing, built from your Requirement row.
Values:
Not covered on this page.
What goal do you want to achieve? Who can help you along the way? How much time and money are needed to get this done?
Long Term Goal:
Short Term Goal:
Who will help:
Potential Roadblocks:
Budget:
What needs to get done or be created in order to achieve the solution goals?
Add tasks / deliverables
How will you gather and incorporate feedback? What key metrics will you measure to know you are achieving the goals?
Key Metrics:
Testing Plan:
Based on how things went, what are our next steps?