Article · ~8 min read

For Better Products, Start With a Problem Statement

Intercom · Intercom Blog Free Intermediate

A roadmap that lists solutions ages fast, while a roadmap of problems stays useful. Intercom shows how to write a tight problem statement (the outcome the customer wants, why, and what hurts today) so each cycle starts from a problem rather than a pre-chosen feature. It is the habit that keeps your roadmap a direction instead of a spec.

  • Frame roadmap items as problems, not predefined solutions
  • A good problem statement names the outcome and the pain
  • Starting from the problem leaves room to change the how
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The question it answers

  1. How do I build a roadmap without over-planning?

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