What is the problem you're solving, and how do you know it's a problem worth solving? Who does it affect and how? Do the people affected want the problem solved? Pretty simple questions, right. Maybe not. Scientific research is grounded in solving a particular problem or as we say in the health sciences, meeting an unmet clinical need. Great, unmet clinical needs sounds so definite. You might say, this is a particular disease that has no cure or this surgery is very complicated, or this material doesn't last long enough in the human body. Those are all problems. You'll come up with better ones I'm sure. You'll need to have an in-depth understanding of the problem so that you can articulate why this problem is important to solve. You'll want to ask questions like; does it affect a large number of people? Does it create high costs for the health care system, and are there significant resources devoted to the problem that take up time and money? Who does the problem affect, and how do they view it? The reality is there are many stakeholders, and it's important that these stakeholders agree that there's an unmet need. They may not. They may think there isn't a problem. That the process or tools or methods that they employed today are just fine. Some stakeholders may agree that there's a problem, but how they view it is very different than from how others view it. It's your job to dig below the surface and see what they see. You truly have to walk in the shoes of the stakeholders here. Because if you don't understand their point of view on the issue, then you may never get their buy-in for a solution. You have to ensure that the stakeholders want the problem solved before you can ask for their support for your solution. Your first task then, is to validate that the problem is real, get the information that you need to state your case. Draw on real examples about the problem. Personalize it. Make it about people. If you know you're working on a real problem, one which others agree is a problem, then your research has so much more context. What's the point of solving a problem that others don't experience as a problem? Do the research to know for sure, don't just guess. Ask yourself, is this a critically important problem to solve or one that has low down on the priority list? Does this vary by stakeholder? Your problem needs to matter to folks who will implement your solution. You need to document that it matters, and to whom. You need to present the problem succinctly, but with enough background detail to communicate that the problem is important and how the problem is manifested to each stakeholder. Remember, that not all problems you think are problems actually are. Stakeholders may not recognize a problem that you see. This can stop you dead in your tracks because no matter how beautiful your solution is, it will never get to market if you don't have stakeholders and customers who want it, who need it, and who are prepared to pay for it.
