The Problem Space vs. The Solution Space: The Superpower of Great Product Managers

One of the biggest challenges in product management—and one of the most important skills to master—is the ability to think in terms of the problem space before jumping into the solution space.

It's not a native thought process for most people. I've seen it time and time again: teams and stakeholders get fixated on a specific solution. Sometimes it's multiple solutions, sometimes it's a single pet idea that someone is convinced needs to be built. But often, that idea isn't solving a real customer need. It's not addressing a top priority. It's not moving key business metrics. Yet, people fall in love with the what before deeply understanding the why.

Understanding the Problem Space

Great product managers don't just build things—they solve meaningful problems. And that means getting deep into the problem space before ever touching a line of code, designing a feature, or mapping out a go-to-market strategy. The problem space involves:

• Understanding customers: Who are they? What do they struggle with? What jobs are they trying to get done?
• Defining the business impact: How does solving this problem align with company goals, revenue, growth, or retention?
• Identifying constraints and trade-offs: What's the real opportunity here? What are the risks? What's the cost of doing nothing?
• Clarifying urgency and priority: Not all problems are worth solving right now. Some problems might be interesting, but they're not strategic.

By mastering the problem space, product managers set up the right guardrails for their teams, ensuring they aren't just moving fast, but moving in the right direction.

The Solution Space: Where People Get Stuck

Once a problem is well-defined, only then should we explore the solution space. This is where we think about:

• Product features and functionality
• Technology choices and architecture
• Go-to-market and monetization strategies
• User experience and design
• Operational and execution plans

The reality is that depending on their role, different people will fall in love with different aspects of the solution space. Engineers may focus on the technology stack. Designers may obsess over UX flows. Marketers may get excited about positioning and demand generation. And all of that is great—but only if it's grounded in a clear understanding of the problem we're solving.

Avoiding the "Solution in Search of a Problem" Trap

One of the biggest pitfalls in product management is building something just because we can, not because we should. Some common signs that a team is stuck in the solution space include:

• Justifying an existing idea rather than exploring the root problem
• Skipping user research and jumping straight to execution
• Defining success in terms of shipping a feature instead of solving a problem
• Getting attached to a specific technology or implementation approach too early

If any of these sound familiar, it's time to pause and go back to first principles.

The Bowling Bumper Analogy: Product Managers as Guide Rails

One analogy I use all the time when coaching product managers is bowling bumpers. When kids go bowling, they often have bumpers on the sides of the lane to prevent the ball from going into the gutter. That way, no matter what, they'll at least hit some pins.

A product team without clear problem definition is like bowling without bumpers—sure, they'll throw the ball hard, but they'll often end up in the gutter. As product managers, our job is to put up the bumpers. We don't dictate exactly where the ball should go, but we make sure that no matter how hard the team throws, they're at least moving in the right direction.

Communication is Our Superpower

At the end of the day, the best product managers are not just problem solvers—they're problem framers. They ensure that everyone on the team is aligned on what problem we're solving, for whom, and why it matters before any solutions are considered.

• We help engineers, designers, marketers, and executives stay focused on the right goals.
• We create clarity in the face of ambiguity.
• We remove roadblocks, not just for execution, but for decision-making.
• We build alignment so teams can move fast without chaos.

The best teams love to build—that's what makes them great. Our job as product managers is to ensure they're building the right thing.

So before jumping into solutions, take a step back. Define the problem. Align the team. Put up the bumpers. And then, let them throw the ball as hard as possible.