Problem-SolvingPrompt.

Act as an experienced professional problem-solving facilitator.

TASK:
Help me analyze and solve the problem described below in a structured, practical and evidence-based way.

PROBLEM:
[Describe the problem.]

CONTEXT:
[Where is this happening? Workplace, operations, business, project, customer issue, personal productivity, etc.]

EXPECTED CONDITION:
[What should be happening instead.]

ACTUAL CONDITION:
[What is happening now.]

IMPACT:
[Operational, financial, customer, quality, time, productivity, safety or other impact.]

WHEN IT STARTED:
[If known.]

FREQUENCY:
[One-time / Repeated / Intermittent / Continuous / Unknown.]

PEOPLE / TEAMS INVOLVED:
[If relevant.]

AVAILABLE FACTS:
[List confirmed facts.]

AVAILABLE DATA:
[List relevant figures, reports, KPIs, observations or evidence.]

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
[List any suspected causes, if known.]

CONSTRAINTS:
[Budget, time, resources, policy, customer requirements, system limitations, staffing, etc.]

SOLUTIONS ALREADY TRIED:
[List previous attempts and results.]

DEADLINE / URGENCY:
[If applicable.]

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
[Any additional instructions.]

PROBLEM-SOLVING REQUIREMENTS:

1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM
Rewrite the issue as a clear problem statement.

Use:

What is happening?
Where?
When?
Who / what is affected?
What should be happening instead?
How large is the gap?
Why does it matter?

Keep the statement factual.

Do not include an assumed cause unless confirmed.

2. SEPARATE FACTS FROM ASSUMPTIONS
Create:

CONFIRMED FACTS
Information supported by evidence.

UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION
Information reported but not validated.

ASSUMPTIONS
Possible explanations requiring verification.

Do not treat assumptions as facts.

3. DEFINE THE GAP
Clearly compare:

Expected condition:
Actual condition:
Gap:
Impact:

If measurable information exists, quantify the gap.

Do not invent numbers.

4. ASSESS THE IMPACT
Consider relevant areas:

- customer
- operational
- financial
- quality
- productivity
- service level
- time
- people
- safety
- compliance
- reputation

Prioritize the impacts that actually matter.

5. DETERMINE URGENCY
Classify the problem as:

Critical
High
Medium
Low

Explain the reason.

Base urgency on consequence and time sensitivity, not inconvenience alone.

6. IDENTIFY IMMEDIATE CONTAINMENT
If the problem could worsen, identify short-term actions to control the impact.

Examples:

- isolate affected work
- pause a process
- verify data
- communicate with affected stakeholders
- use a temporary workaround
- check similar cases
- preserve evidence

Do not confuse temporary containment with the permanent solution.

7. MAP THE PROCESS
Where relevant, outline the process surrounding the problem.

For each step identify:

Step:
Expected activity:
Actual condition:
Possible failure point:
Available evidence:

8. BREAK DOWN THE PROBLEM
Divide a complex problem into smaller parts.

Possible dimensions:

- location
- time
- product
- customer
- employee
- shift
- system
- process stage
- supplier
- transaction
- equipment

Identify where the issue occurs and where it does not occur.

9. LOOK FOR PATTERNS
Analyze:

- when the problem happens
- when it does not happen
- which locations are affected
- which products / tasks are affected
- whether frequency is increasing
- whether the issue is tied to a particular condition

Do not claim a trend without enough data.

10. IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CAUSES
Generate plausible causes under relevant categories:

People
Process
System
Equipment
Material
Method
Measurement
Environment
Management control
Supplier / external dependency

Do not force every category into the analysis.

11. PRIORITIZE CAUSES
For each possible cause provide:

Cause:
Supporting evidence:
Contradicting evidence:
Likelihood:
Verification required:

Use:

High likelihood
Medium likelihood
Low likelihood
Insufficient evidence

12. ROOT-CAUSE DEPTH
Where the issue requires deeper investigation, use techniques such as:

- 5 Whys
- cause-and-effect analysis
- process comparison
- before / after comparison
- failure-point analysis

Do not stop at vague causes such as:

"Human error."
"Poor communication."
"Lack of attention."
"System issue."

Ask why that condition was possible.

13. IDENTIFY INFORMATION GAPS
List the information needed before reaching a confident conclusion.

For each gap:

Information required:
Why it matters:
How to obtain it:
Who may have it:

14. DEFINE SOLUTION CRITERIA
Before proposing solutions, define what a good solution must achieve.

Examples:

- solve the actual cause
- reduce recurrence
- remain within budget
- be practical
- avoid customer disruption
- preserve quality
- maintain safety
- be easy to sustain
- be measurable

15. GENERATE SOLUTION OPTIONS
Create multiple realistic options.

Do not immediately choose the first idea.

For each option provide:

Option:
How it works:
Problem addressed:
Expected benefit:
Resources required:
Time to implement:
Risks:
Limitations:

16. INCLUDE LOW-COST OPTIONS
Where appropriate, include:

- process change
- sequencing change
- clearer ownership
- simple checklist
- approval control
- visual control
- better information flow
- scheduling change
- layout change
- exception report

Do not recommend expensive technology when a simpler control could solve the problem.

17. INCLUDE SYSTEM / AUTOMATION OPTIONS ONLY WHEN JUSTIFIED
Technology may help when:

- volume is high
- manual error is recurring
- data exists
- control can be automated
- business benefit justifies cost

Do not recommend automation merely because it sounds advanced.

18. COMPARE OPTIONS
Evaluate each solution using criteria such as:

Effectiveness
Cost
Implementation time
Complexity
Risk
Sustainability
User impact
Scalability

Use a simple rating:

Strong
Moderate
Weak

or

High
Medium
Low

Explain the reasoning.

19. RECOMMEND THE BEST OPTION
Choose the strongest practical solution based on available information.

Explain:

Why this option is preferred:
What cause it addresses:
Expected result:
Main limitation:
What must be verified first:

If evidence is insufficient to choose, say so.

20. CONSIDER COMBINED SOLUTIONS
Some problems require several controls.

Separate:

Primary solution
Supporting controls
Monitoring controls

Avoid creating unnecessary complexity.

21. CHECK FOR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
For each major solution consider:

- new delays
- additional workload
- customer impact
- cost
- safety risk
- quality risk
- workarounds
- system conflicts
- dependency shifts

22. CREATE AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
For the recommended solution provide:

Action:
Purpose:
Responsible role:
Priority:
Dependency:
Target:
Evidence of completion:

Do not invent employee names or official deadlines.

23. PHASE THE IMPLEMENTATION
Where useful, structure:

Immediate
Short-term
Medium-term

For complex changes:

Pilot
Review
Adjust
Rollout

24. DEFINE OWNERSHIP
Assign responsibility by role.

Examples:

Manager
Supervisor
Team Leader
Operations
Quality
IT
Finance
Procurement
Supplier
Project Lead

Do not assume organizational roles that were not provided unless clearly marked as suggestions.

25. DEFINE SUCCESS MEASURES
For each important solution define:

Metric:
Baseline:
Target:
Review period:
Success criteria:

If the baseline is unavailable, state:

"Baseline required."

Do not invent targets.

26. VERIFY EFFECTIVENESS
Explain how to check whether the solution worked.

Possible methods:

- KPI review
- audit
- sample check
- transaction review
- customer feedback
- error rate
- cycle count
- observation
- repeat measurement

27. MONITOR RECURRENCE
Define warning indicators.

Examples:

- repeated complaints
- repeated discrepancies
- repeated delays
- error rate
- backlog
- exception frequency
- rework
- downtime

28. CREATE A FALLBACK PLAN
For important problems include:

If the solution fails:
Immediate fallback:
Escalation required:
Alternative option:

29. DECISION POINTS
Identify decisions management may need to make.

For each:

Decision:
Options:
Recommended choice:
Impact of delay:

30. CONSTRAINT REVIEW
Check the proposed solution against:

- budget
- time
- staffing
- policy
- compliance
- customer requirements
- technology
- available skills

Do not recommend an option that clearly violates stated constraints.

31. STAKEHOLDER IMPACT
Identify:

Stakeholder:
Impact:
Required communication:
Required involvement:

32. COMMUNICATION PLAN
Where relevant, define what should be communicated to:

- management
- employees
- customers
- suppliers
- other departments

Keep communication proportional to the problem.

33. PREVENT RECURRENCE
Ask:

What control would have prevented this?
What control should detect it earlier?
What process change would make recurrence less likely?
Can the solution be standardized elsewhere?

34. STANDARDIZATION
If the solution works, consider:

- SOP update
- checklist
- training
- template
- system control
- audit point
- KPI
- visual management

Do not standardize a solution before verifying effectiveness.

35. LESSONS LEARNED
Summarize:

What happened?
Why was it difficult to detect?
What allowed the problem?
What solved it?
What should change permanently?
Could similar problems exist elsewhere?

36. SIMPLE ACTION TRACKER
Create:

Action:
Owner role:
Priority:
Target:
Status:
Verification:

Use:

Not Started
In Progress
Blocked
Pending Verification
Completed

37. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
Provide a concise final summary:

Problem:
Impact:
Most likely cause:
Evidence confidence:
Recommended solution:
Immediate action:
Main risk:
Decision required:
Success measure:
Next review:

OUTPUT FORMAT:

1. Problem Statement
2. Facts vs Assumptions
3. Expected vs Actual
4. Impact & Urgency
5. Immediate Containment
6. Process / Pattern Analysis
7. Possible Causes
8. Information Gaps
9. Root-Cause Direction
10. Solution Criteria
11. Solution Options
12. Option Comparison
13. Recommended Solution
14. Implementation Plan
15. Risks & Constraints
16. Success Measures
17. Effectiveness Verification
18. Recurrence Prevention
19. Action Tracker
20. Management Summary

IMPORTANT:
- Do not invent facts, data, causes or results.
- Separate evidence from assumptions.
- Do not jump directly from problem to solution.
- Do not stop analysis at vague causes such as human error.
- Do not recommend technology unnecessarily.
- Consider simpler practical options first.
- Do not present a suspected root cause as confirmed.
- Compare multiple realistic solutions where possible.
- Link the recommended solution to the actual problem or supported cause.
- Define how success will be measured.
- If critical information is missing, clearly identify what must be verified before making a final decision.