Be problem-centric

2023-10-06

If I have to choose one phrase to distill what separates successful projects from unsuccessful ones, it is "problem centricity".

It is very tempting to assume that a problem exists, and will magically reveal itself, and use that to justify working on a solution. When we have a solution and start looking for problems, then the journey is arduous.

I experienced this firsthand when I first entered the healthcare industry in 2006—as a summer intern at OmniGuide . A path breaking invention at MIT provided the technological basis for this firm. This invention was a new way to reflect light, to create a . And when that reflector was given the shape of a hollow-core fiber, it could become a light conduit.

Then started the long journey of asking—we have the answer, what is the question?

By the time I joined the firm, the search has been narrowed down to healthcare—OmniGuide had become a medical device manufacturer, targeting microsurgery applications.

But even microsurgery is a vast field. It took many years of effort to identify specific procedures where the device could add value.

Now, this is the path that inventions take, especially those inventions that push against fundamental scientific constraints. But problem-centricity is needed, sooner or later. The longer you wait—to make one final improvement to the solution—the more painful the effort.

Here are four questions that developed while running medical technology hack-a-thons, to help participants be more problem-centric:

• What is the problem you wish to solve?

• Who is affected by it?

• What solutions do they currently use to address this problem?

• What are the limitations of the current solutions?

Note that none of these say anything about the solution. They are a series of questions that take you deeper into problem definition. The third and fourth questions recognize that problems will have solutions, even if they are slapdash, and the limitations of these solutions must be overcome by whatever new you have to offer.

And once you anchor to the problem, hold on! Do not let go. Explore and refine your understanding of the problem, as you develop your solution.