❓ Problem Tree Brainstorming Questions

Essential questions to guide your thinking and uncover hidden aspects of complex problems. Use these structured inquiry methods to dig deeper into root causes and identify effects you might otherwise miss.

🧠 The Power of Strategic Questioning

Why Questions Matter More Than Answers

  • Reveal assumptions you didn’t know you were making
  • Uncover blind spots in your analysis
  • Challenge conventional thinking about problems and solutions
  • Guide research direction toward most important insights
  • Prepare you for stakeholder conversations with meaningful inquiries

🌳 Core Problem Definition Questions

Problem Clarity Questions

  1. What exactly is the problem? Can you describe it in one clear sentence?
  2. Who specifically experiences this problem? Demographics, location, circumstances?
  3. When does this problem occur? Timing, frequency, patterns?
  4. Where does this problem happen? Geographic, institutional, social contexts?
  5. How severe is this problem? Scale, intensity, urgency?

Problem Boundaries Questions

  1. What is NOT the problem? What related issues are you excluding and why?
  2. What would success look like? How would you know if this problem were solved?
  3. Whose problem is this? Who considers this urgent vs. those who don’t?
  4. What happens if nothing changes? Trajectory if no intervention occurs?
  5. How long has this been a problem? Historical context and evolution?

🌱 Root Cause Exploration Questions

The “Five Whys” Deep Dive

Start with your core problem statement, then ask “why” at each level:

Level 1 - Surface Causes

  1. Why does this problem exist right now? Immediate, visible factors
  2. What are people doing (or not doing) that creates this problem? Behavioral causes
  3. What systems are failing? Institutional or structural breakdowns
  4. What resources are missing? Gaps in capacity, funding, infrastructure

Level 2 - Underlying Drivers

  1. Why do people behave this way? Motivations, incentives, constraints
  2. Why are systems failing? Design flaws, implementation gaps, external pressures
  3. Why are resources missing? Allocation decisions, capacity limitations, competing priorities
  4. What historical factors created these conditions? Legacy issues, past policies, cultural factors

Level 3 - Root Systems

  1. What power dynamics maintain this problem? Who benefits from status quo?
  2. What policies or laws contribute to this problem? Formal rules and regulations
  3. What cultural norms or beliefs perpetuate this? Social expectations, traditional practices
  4. What economic structures drive this problem? Market failures, inequality, incentive misalignments

Stakeholder Perspective Questions

  1. How do different groups experience this problem differently? Gender, age, disability, economic status
  2. Who has tried to solve this before? Previous efforts and why they succeeded/failed
  3. Who profits or benefits from this problem existing? Vested interests in status quo
  4. Who has the power to change these root causes? Decision makers and influencers

🌿 Effects and Impact Questions

Immediate Effects

  1. What happens directly because of this problem? First-order consequences
  2. Who is harmed by this problem? Direct victims and how they’re affected
  3. What opportunities are lost? Potential that can’t be realized
  4. What additional costs are created? Economic, social, human costs

Ripple Effects

  1. How does this problem affect families? Household-level impacts
  2. How does this problem affect communities? Social cohesion, collective resources
  3. How does this problem affect the economy? Productivity, growth, development impacts
  4. How does this problem affect future generations? Long-term consequences

System-Level Effects

  1. What other problems does this create or worsen? Problem interconnections
  2. How does this problem affect trust in institutions? Governance and social contract impacts
  3. What does this problem prevent society from achieving? Collective goals and aspirations
  4. How does this problem make other interventions less effective? Cross-sector impacts

🔍 Evidence and Assumption Questions

Data and Evidence

  1. What evidence supports each part of your problem tree? Sources and quality of information
  2. Where are you making assumptions vs. stating facts? Distinguish evidence from inference
  3. What data is missing that you need? Information gaps to fill
  4. Whose voices are missing from your analysis? Stakeholders not yet consulted

Validation and Testing

  1. How could you test whether your root causes are accurate? Research or pilot activities
  2. What would prove you wrong? Falsifiable hypotheses
  3. Which assumptions are most critical to validate? High-risk assumptions to test first
  4. How might your perspective be biased? Personal, cultural, professional blind spots

🎯 Strategic Application Questions

Intervention Potential

  1. Which root causes could you realistically influence? Feasibility assessment
  2. Which effects are most important to address? Priority setting
  3. Where do you have the greatest expertise? Competency alignment
  4. Where could you make the biggest difference? Impact potential

Context and Timing

  1. What makes now the right time to address this? Windows of opportunity
  2. What external factors could help or hinder your work? Environmental scan
  3. Who else is working on this problem? Collaboration and coordination opportunities
  4. How does this fit with other priorities? Competing demands and synergies

🗣️ Stakeholder Engagement Questions

Community Validation Questions

Use these when engaging communities to validate your problem tree:

Opening Questions:

  1. “Does this problem description match your experience?” Validation of core problem
  2. “What would you add or change about how we’ve described this?” Community refinement
  3. “Are there important causes we’ve missed?” Root cause gaps
  4. “Do you see other effects we haven’t mentioned?” Impact completeness

Deeper Exploration:

  1. “Can you tell us about a time when this problem affected you personally?” Concrete examples
  2. “What makes this problem worse or better at different times?” Situational factors
  3. “If you could change one thing about this situation, what would it be?” Priority identification
  4. “What have you or others tried before to deal with this?” Previous attempts and lessons

📋 Question Selection Guide

For Different Phases

Initial Analysis Phase:

  • Start with Questions 1-10 (Problem Definition)
  • Use Questions 11-26 (Root Cause Exploration)
  • Apply Questions 27-38 (Effects Analysis)

Evidence Gathering Phase:

  • Focus on Questions 39-46 (Evidence and Assumptions)
  • Use Questions 47-54 (Strategic Application)

Stakeholder Validation Phase:

  • Select from Questions 55-62 (Community Engagement)
  • Return to Questions 39-46 for additional validation

For Different Contexts

Complex, Multi-faceted Problems:

  • Use full question set systematically
  • Pay special attention to Questions 19-22 (Root Systems)
  • Focus on Questions 31-37 (Ripple and System Effects)

Well-defined Problems:

  • Focus on Questions 11-18 (Surface to Underlying Drivers)
  • Emphasize Questions 43-46 (Validation and Testing)

Urgent Situations:

  • Prioritize Questions 1-5, 11-14, 27-30 (Core essentials)
  • Use Questions 47-50 (Intervention Potential) for rapid decision-making

📥 Download Question Tools

Brainstorming Question Toolkit

🚀 Next Steps

  1. Select 10-15 questions most relevant to your problem context
  2. Use them systematically to refine your current problem tree
  3. Prepare community engagement using stakeholder validation questions
  4. Continue to 📏 Research Planning Tips to develop research strategy
  5. Document insights and assumptions that emerge from questioning process

The right questions unlock insights that transform good problem analysis into exceptional project design. Don’t rush through questioning - this is where breakthrough understanding happens.