customer-problems

Customer Problems (CP)

Step 1 of the Problem-Based SRS methodology
Domain: WHY — Explains why the solution is needed
Prerequisite: Step 0 — Business Context (business-context skill)

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 RFC 2119 RFC 8174 when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.

Note: In Customer Problem notation, must/expects/hopes are classification verbs indicating severity class; they are not BCP 14 normative keywords unless explicitly written in ALL CAPITALS in normative guidance.

Purpose

Identify, document, and validate Customer Problems from business context. Customer Problems represent the WHY domain — they provide the business justification for why a software solution is needed. All subsequent artifacts (Software Glance, Customer Needs, Software Vision, Requirements) derive from CPs.

Best input: A structured Business Context (Step 0) with project identity, business principles, stakeholders, current situation, and domain boundaries. If no Business Context exists, consider running the business-context skill first.

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Scope

Aspect	Boundary
This skill does	Discover problems from context, normalize statements, and validate quality
This skill does NOT	Define solutions or derive requirements
Input from	Step 0: Business Context (preferred) OR ad-hoc business context
Output to	Step 2: Software Glance (software-glance skill)

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Two Modes of Operation

Mode 1: CP Generation

Use when starting from business context to discover and document problems.

Mode 2: CP Review & Normalization

Use when you have draft CP statements that need quality review and formatting.

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Mode 1: CP Generation

Your Task

Analyze the provided business context and generate Customer Problem statements.

Input Required

• Business Context (preferred): Step 0 output (00-business-context.md) with project identity, principles, stakeholders, current situation, and domain boundaries
• Alternative: Description of the business domain, current situation, and scope (if Step 0 was skipped)
• Stakeholder Information: Who experiences the problems (optional but helpful)

Discovery Questions

Ask these questions to elicit problems:

1. Obligations:

   • What legal or contractual requirements must be met?
   • What regulations apply to this business?
   • What happens if compliance fails?

2. Expectations:

   • What do customers/users expect that isn't being delivered?
   • What business goals are not being met?
   • What standards should be achieved but aren't?

3. Hopes:

   • What improvements would stakeholders like to see?
   • What optimizations are desired?
   • What new capabilities are wished for?

4. Consequences:

   • What happens if these issues aren't addressed?
   • What is the cost of the current situation?
   • Who is impacted and how severely?

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Mode 2: CP Review & Normalization

Your Task

For each draft problem:

1. Normalize into the CP syntax: [Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Penalty]
2. Classify as Obligation, Expectation, or Hope
3. Flag missing elements (subject, object, penalty, or severity verb)
4. Ask clarifying questions only when required data is missing

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CP Structured Notation

Each Customer Problem MUST follow this syntax:

[Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Penalty/Consequence]

Components:

• Subject: Who suffers the problem (company, manager, customer, department)
• Verb: Indicates severity class (must/expects/hopes)
• Object: The difficulty or requirement
• Penalty: Consequence if problem persists

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Problem Classification

Classify each CP by severity:

Class	Severity	Verbs	Description
Obligation	High	must, have to, is required to	Legal/contractual; severe consequences if unmet
Expectation	Medium	expects, should, anticipates	Business goal; moderate impact if unmet
Hope	Low	hopes, aims, desires, wishes	Improvement; minimal penalty if unmet

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Output Format

⚠ ID Format: Always use CP- with a dash (e.g., CP-001, CP-002). Do NOT use dots (e.g., CP.01).

For Mode 1 (Generation)

For each identified problem, produce:

### CP-001: [Brief Title]

**Statement:** [Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Penalty]

**Classification:** [Obligation | Expectation | Hope]

**Subject:** [Who has this problem]

**Consequence if Unsolved:**
- [Negative impact 1]
- [Negative impact 2]

**Benefit if Solved:**
- [Positive outcome 1]
- [Positive outcome 2]

For Mode 2 (Review)

## Normalized Customer Problems

| CP ID | Normalized Statement | Class | Missing Info |
|-------|----------------------|-------|--------------|
| CP-[ID] | [Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Penalty] | [Obligation/Expectation/Hope] | [None or list] |

## Clarification Questions (if any)
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

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Examples

Example 1: Obligation

### CP-001: Regulatory Compliance

**Statement:** The company must submit emission compliance reports within 30 days of each quarter end otherwise faces fines up to 5% of revenue.

**Classification:** Obligation

**Subject:** The company (compliance department)

**Consequence if Unsolved:**
- Financial penalties (5% revenue)
- Regulatory sanctions
- Public reputation damage

**Benefit if Solved:**
- Regulatory compliance maintained
- Avoid financial penalties
- Maintain operating license

Example 2: Expectation

### CP-002: Customer Response Time

**Statement:** Customers expect responses to support inquiries within 24 hours otherwise they become dissatisfied and may switch to competitors.

**Classification:** Expectation

**Subject:** Customers (end users)

**Consequence if Unsolved:**
- Customer dissatisfaction
- Increased churn rate
- Negative reviews

**Benefit if Solved:**
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Higher retention rates
- Positive word-of-mouth

Example 3: Hope

### CP-003: Sales Forecasting

**Statement:** Management hopes to predict quarterly sales with 85% accuracy otherwise strategic planning remains reactive rather than proactive.

**Classification:** Hope

**Subject:** Management (sales leadership)

**Consequence if Unsolved:**
- Suboptimal resource allocation
- Missed market opportunities
- Reactive decision making

**Benefit if Solved:**
- Better resource planning
- Proactive market positioning
- Improved profitability

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Quality Criteria

Ensure each CP:

• ✅ Uses the structured notation (Subject + Verb + Object + Penalty)
• ✅ Has a clear classification (Obligation/Expectation/Hope)
• ✅ Identifies the subject who experiences the problem
• ✅ Specifies consequences if unsolved
• ✅ Specifies benefits if solved
• ✅ Is problem-focused, NOT solution-focused
• ✅ Uses natural language (no technical jargon)

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Problem Decomposition

When to Decompose

Decompose a CP into sub-CPs when:

Trigger	Example
Multiple distinct facets	CP-001 has communication AND frequency aspects
Different subjects affected	CP-001 affects both company AND customers
Independent penalties	Failure of one aspect doesn't cause all penalties
Separate solutions likely	Each facet could be solved by different FRs

Numbering Convention

CP-001        → Main problem
CP-001.1      → First sub-problem of CP-001
CP-001.2      → Second sub-problem of CP-001
CP-001.2.1    → Sub-sub-problem (rarely needed)

Decomposition Example

Before decomposition:

CP-001: The company must ensure effective communication with customers, 
      otherwise it loses customers affecting marketing and sales.

After decomposition:

CP-001: The company must ensure effective communication with customers, 
      otherwise it loses customers affecting marketing and sales.

CP-001.1: The company must ensure it can contact all customers 
        (having valid contact information).

CP-001.2: The company must ensure each customer is contacted regularly 
        (frequency of communication).

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Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct
"We need a mobile app"	"Field staff cannot access inventory data outside office"
"System is slow"	"Report generation takes >5 minutes causing missed deadlines"
"Improve UX"	"Users abandon checkout 40% of time due to confusing navigation"
"Need better reporting"	"Managers must submit compliance reports within 10 days or face fines"

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Validation Checklist

Before proceeding to Step 2 (Software Glance), verify:

• All identified problems are documented as CPs
• Each CP uses structured notation
• Every CP includes Subject, Verb, Object, Penalty
• Verb matches correct severity class
• Classifications assigned to all CPs
• Consequences and benefits documented
• Stakeholders agree these represent real business problems
• No solutions are embedded in problem statements

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Handoff to Next Step

When CPs are complete, provide:

✅ Step 1 Complete: Customer Problems Specified

Summary:
- [N] Obligations identified
- [N] Expectations identified  
- [N] Hopes identified

Artifacts:
[List CP-IDs with brief titles]

→ Next Step: 2 - Software Glance
→ Use skill: software-glance
→ Input: The CPs documented above

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References

• Problem-Based SRS Paper (Gorski & Stadzisz)

Version: 1.2
Step: 1 of 5
Next: software-glance skill