Problem-Solution Fit Worksheet
Prove the problem before you fund the build.
Most failed platforms solved a problem nobody would pay to remove.
The journey, step by step
Where the work concentrates
- Name the problem5
- Pressure-test demand5
- Draft the solution5
- Set the kill criteria4
Name the problem
Describe the pain in your buyer's words, not yours.
How do they solve it today? Name the tool or workaround.
What does the workaround cost per month? Estimate in currency.
Who feels the pain daily vs. quarterly?
If it vanished tomorrow, who notices first?
Pressure-test demand
List five people who complained about this unprompted.
Find three paid competitors. No competitors is a red flag.
Ask two buyers: 'What would you pay monthly?'
Check search volume for the problem phrase.
Write the reason each competitor's users are unhappy.
Draft the solution
One line: 'We turn X hours into Y minutes.'
Map each pain point to one feature. Extra features go.
Define the moment the user first feels the value.
Pick the wedge: smallest slice that beats the workaround.
State why now — what changed in the market?
Set the kill criteria
Define the signup number that proves interest.
Define the silence that proves disinterest.
Set a decision date. Four weeks max.
Write what you'll build instead if this dies.
Want this done for you?
We run this exact process on every build. 11 platforms shipped, 7 live in production.
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