One of the most expensive mistakes organizations make is moving forward without clearly defining the problem they are trying to solve…

Teams often arrive with a proposed solution already in mind, driven by urgency, pressure, or past experience, without fully understanding the root cause, the true level of risk, or whether the issue is as severe as it appears. Without a well-defined problem statement, decisions are made on assumptions, scope grows unchecked, and effort is spent reacting rather than resolving. The result is momentum without direction — activity that feels productive but delivers little real value.

The cost of poorly defined problems is significant. Studies consistently show that unclear requirements and problem definition are among the leading causes of project rework, cost overruns, and schedule delays, with rework alone accounting for up to 30 percent of total project cost in complex projects. Industry research also indicates that organizations can waste millions of dollars per year addressing symptoms rather than root causes, often committing to solutions that exceed the actual risk or need. When the problem is not clearly understood, organizations pay for it twice — once in unnecessary execution and again in course correction.

from Awe Maze Principal Consultant