About the author
At the start of any project, it’s tempting to jump right into solutions. Stakeholders come to the table eager to talk features, fixes, and deliverables. But here’s the thing: the fastest path to failure is solving the wrong problem—beautifully.
Too often, requirements-gathering sessions veer straight into discussing the how before anyone stops to clearly define the what. And that misstep can cost time, money, and a lot of rework.
The rush to solve
Why does this happen? It’s usually a mix of pressure and urgency.
Business leaders are often under the gun to show progress and value. In that context, spending time identifying the real business problem can feel inefficient—especially when the solution seems “obvious.” But in reality, that quick fix is often just a band-aid. It might satisfy the moment but fail to address the root cause.
A lesson from architecture
Let’s look at a more relatable example: designing a home.
A family meets with an architect and starts listing their dream features—four bedrooms, an open floor plan, a big garage. But a great architect doesn’t just take notes. Instead, they ask questions:
- Why four bedrooms?
- How do you use your space today?
- What’s missing in your current home?
Through conversation, the real needs emerge. The kids need privacy. The family entertains often. One parent works from home and needs a quiet office. The garage? That’s about avoiding the cold weather walk from car to door.
Now, the architect can design a solution based on function, not just features. The result is a home that works for how the family actually lives—not just what they thought they wanted.
Business analysis works the same way
In the same way, business analysts need to steer discovery conversations away from “We need a button here” and toward “What problem are we solving?”
This is where thoughtful “what” questions come in:
- What business problem are you trying to solve?
- What’s broken in your current process?
- What does success look like?
- What are the risks of doing nothing?
- What users are impacted—and how?
- What reporting or results do you need?
Yes, conversations may drift back to the “how”—that’s natural. But a strong analyst will gently guide the discussion back to understanding the problem first.
Once those “what”s are nailed down and approved, the solutions team has the context they need to design something meaningful. They have guardrails that help them innovate within the boundaries of what success really looks like.
The payoff: Solving the right problem
When businesses take the time to define the “what” first, they open the door to smarter solutions. They often uncover multiple related problems—and avoid investing in solutions that don’t move the needle.
It’s the difference between treating symptoms and curing the disease.
Bottom line? Stop rushing to the “how.”
Start with the “what,” and you’ll save time, money, and frustration—and build something that actually works.
