Problem Statement

3. Perform Kepner-Tregoe (KT) situation analysis to evaluate various aspects of a situation in terms of three criteria (timing, trend, and impact), thereby determining what is known, which tasks should be performed, and in what order these tasks should be completed

• The concerns related to our problem statement are:

  • What are the specific products that our application is giving access to?

  • How is the reliability of access being measured?

  • What is the cost of the products and how are they defined as affordable?

  • What are the current user demographics of our application?

  • How does our application compare to other platforms that offer similar access to affordable products?

  • What are the factors that contribute to the reliability of access, and how can they be improved?

• Prioritizing concerns:

  • Timing: The current user demographics and the comparison with other platforms are time-sensitive concerns.

  • Trend: The reliability of access and the cost of the products are concerns that may be impacted by changing trends over time.

  • Impact: The specific products and factors that contribute to the reliability of access are concerns that have a direct impact on the effectiveness of our application.

• Analyzing concerns:

  • Timing: We need to identify the current user demographics and perform a competitive analysis of similar platforms to evaluate our performance and identify areas for improvement.

  • Trend: We need to evaluate changing trends in the market, such as fluctuations in product availability, pricing, and customer demand, to ensure that our application remains effective over time.

  • Impact: We need to identify the specific products that our application provides access to and evaluate the factors that contribute to the reliability of access, such as supply chain management, product quality control, and vendor relationships, to ensure that our application is providing the most reliable and affordable access possible.

• Developing a plan of action:

  • Conducting a survey or analysis of current user demographics and preferences to identify areas for improvement

  • Performing a competitive analysis of similar platforms to identify areas for improvement

  • Evaluating supply chain management and quality control processes to ensure reliable access to affordable products

  • Developing vendor ties and negotiating better pricing for products

  • Monitoring market trends

• Monitor progress

  • Tracking the completion of tasks and regularly reviewing the plan of action. This involves making adjustments to the plan if necessary and ensuring that the application is providing reliable and affordable access to products.
    
    

4. Perform KT problem analysis to determine possible causes of a problem

Who: 

• Who is affected by the problem?

  • Customers who are using our application to find reliable and affordable products.

• Who can provide more information?

  • The development team, including the designers, engineers, and project managers, can provide more information on the application's current capabilities and areas for improvement.

  • Users of the application can also provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

• Who can NOT provide information?

  • Individuals who have not used the application or are not involved in the development process may not be able to provide relevant information on the problem.

• Who is the customer?

  • The customers are the individuals or organizations who use the application to access more affordable products.

• Who is NOT the customer?

  • Individuals or organizations who do not use the application are not customers.

• Who performed (each) task?

  • App users

• Who did NOT perform (each) task?

  • Non-app users

• Who is the source of information?

  • The source of information can include the development team, users of the application, customer feedback, and performance data on the application.

• Who is NOT the source of information?

  • Individuals who have no experience or involvement with the application are not likely to be a source of relevant information.

• Who is affected by the problem?

  • The customers who do not use the application to access more affordable products are affected by the problem.

• Who is NOT affected by the problem?

  • Individuals or organizations who do use the application are not affected by the problem.

What:

• What is the problem?

  • The problem is that our application is not providing reliable access to affordable products.

• What is known?

  • The application is designed to provide more reliable access to affordable products.

• What is NOT known?

  • It is not known what specific products the application offers or the scope of its product selection.

  • It is not known how reliable the application is currently.

• What was observed?

  • The application is live and functioning.

• What was NOT observed?

  • It is not observed how many customers are using the application or how successful it has been in providing more reliable access to affordable products.

• What are the constraints?

  • Budgetary constraints may limit the resources available to improve the application.

  • Time constraints may limit the amount of time available to implement improvements.

  • Technical constraints may limit the types of improvements that can be made to the application.

• What are NOT constraints?

  • There are no constraints that prevent improvements to the application and thus the solution

• What is important?

  • It is important to provide more reliable access to affordable products to customers using the application.

  • It is important to maintain customer satisfaction and trust in the application.

• What is NOT important?

  • It is not important to prioritize profitability over providing reliable access to affordable products.

• What are the goals/objectives?

  • The primary goal is to improve the application's ability to provide more reliable access to affordable products.

  • The secondary goal is to maintain or increase customer satisfaction and trust in the application.

• What are NOT goals?

  • It is not a goal to sacrifice reliability or affordability for the sake of adding new products or features to the application.

• What can be expected?

  • Customers can expect to find more reliable access to affordable products on the application as improvements are made.

• What is NOT expected?

  • It is not expected that the application will be able to provide every product or service under the sun, as there will always be limitations and constraints to consider.

When:

• When does the problem occur?

  • The problem occurs whenever customers are using our application to search for products.

• When did the problem occur?

  • It is not specified when the problem occurred. The problem statement suggests that the application is currently functional but needs improvements to provide more reliable access to affordable products.

• When did changes occur?

  • It is not specified when changes occurred or what changes were made to the application.

• When must solution be implemented?

  • A solution should be implemented as soon as possible to improve the application's ability to provide more reliable access to affordable products.

• When is solution NOT needed?

  • A solution is not needed if the application is already providing reliable access to affordable products and there is no room for improvement.

Where:

• Where does the problem occur?

  • The problem occurs on our application.

• Where did the problem occur?

  • It is not specified where the problem occurs, but it is likely that the problem is occurring within the application itself.

• Where did the problem NOT occur?

  • It is not specified where the problem did not occur.

• Where are products shipped? NOT shipped?

  • N/A

• Where is the customer located?

  • The customers using the application can be located anywhere in the world where the application is available.

• Where is the customer NOT located?

  • Individuals or organizations who do not use the application are not customers and are not relevant to this question.

Why:

• Why is the problem happening?

  • There could be several reasons why the problem is happening, such as:

  • Poor product selection: Our application may not offer a wide enough selection of products, or the products that are available may not meet the needs of our customers.

  • Inaccurate product information: 

    • The product descriptions and other information on our application may not be accurate or up-to-date, which can lead to confusion and frustration for customers.

  • Technical issues: 

    • There may be technical issues with our application that are preventing customers from finding products or completing purchases.

  • Changes in market conditions: 

    • External factors, such as changes in supply and demand or shifts in the economy, may be impacting the availability and affordability of products on our application.

• Why is the problem important?

  • The problem is important because the application is designed to provide more reliable access to affordable products, and if the application is not functioning properly, customers may not be able to access the products they need.

• Why is the problem NOT important?

  • The problem may not be considered important if the application is not widely used or if customers have alternative means of accessing affordable products.

• Why does the solution work?

  • Through thorough research and development, the needs to address the needs od customers and the current state of the market is attainable. 

• Why does the solution NOT work?

  • There’s always room for improvement, and that means that along the way, certain needs may miss being addressed, app development issues themselves, or there is always a new spot for opportunity to emerge.

• Why is there a problem?

  • The problem may be caused by various factors, such as technical issues with the application, problems with the supply chain for affordable products, or issues with customer demand and behavior.

• Why is there NOT a problem?

  • There may not be a problem if the application is functioning properly and customers are able to access affordable products reliably.

How:

• How is the problem happening?

  • The problem could be happening in several ways, such as:

    • Customers may be unable to find products that meet their needs on our application.

    • Customers may be finding products but not trusting their quality or reliability.

    • Customers may be finding products that are affordable, but they are not able to make a purchase due to technical issues with our application.

• How is the problem related to other problems?

  • The problem may be related to other problems such as issues with the supply chain for affordable products, technical issues with the application, or issues with customer demand and behavior.

• How is the problem NOT related to other problems?

  • The problem may not be related to other problems if it is a standalone issue specific to the application itself.

• How can a task be performed?

  • It is not specified what task is being referred to, so it is not possible to answer this question.

• How can a task NOT be performed?

  • A task may not be performed if the necessary resources or skills are not available or if there are constraints that prevent it from being completed.

• How did the problem develop?

  • The problem may have developed due to a variety of factors, such as software bugs, issues with the supply chain, or changes in customer behavior.

• How did the problem NOT develop?

  • The problem may not have developed if the application was designed and implemented flawlessly or if there were no external factors that impacted its 

functionality.

Location:

• The location of the problem is likely to be within the application itself, and may also involve external factors such as issues with the supply chain or customer behavior.

Timing:

• The timing of the problem may be ongoing or intermittent, depending on the specific issues with the application and any external factors that are impacting it.

Magnitude:

• The magnitude of the problem may vary depending on the specific issues with the application and the impact it has on customers.

  • Example: if the application is consistently providing inaccurate product information or is frequently down, the magnitude of the problem could be significant and may result in decreased customer satisfaction and revenue.