Book page Appendix B: Paid Problem Test

Appendix B

Paid Problem Test

Introduced in Chapter 7. Reused in Chapters 11, 12, 19, and 20.

Pain is abundant. The test asks whether the problem already has an economic cost that causes behavior. The strongest problems are the ones somebody is already spending money, labor, risk, or attention on.

For one target problem and one buyer, answer:

  1. What happens if the problem continues? Next week, next month, next quarter. Name the consequence, not the feeling.
  2. What is the buyer already doing because the problem exists? Spreadsheet, contractor, part-time employee, manual review, duplicate tool, monthly fire drill. If nothing, note that; it is evidence.
  3. What does the current response consume? Hours of whose time, at what cost; money spent; revenue leaked; deadlines missed; risk carried. Use the buyer’s numbers where you have them and mark estimates as estimates.
  4. Who owns the consequence? The person whose budget, staff, or performance absorbs the cost. This is frequently not the person who experiences the problem.
  5. Why does it matter now? The trigger, if any: deadline, departure, audit, new client, failed alternative, budget cycle.
  6. Is doing nothing still a reasonable decision? Answer honestly from the buyer’s side. If yes, the problem is real and not yet paid.

Scoring guidance without false precision. A problem passes when questions 2 and 3 have concrete answers, question 4 names a person, and question 6 is “no” or “not for long.” A problem with strong answers to 1 and weak answers to 2 and 3 is a pain, not a paid problem. A problem with strong 2 and 3 and no answer to 4 has cost and no buyer; find the owner before proceeding.

False positives. Interesting problem, no authority. Large problem, no budget line. Painful problem, entrenched alternative that works. Costly problem that occurs once a year. Each passes part of the test and fails the part that produces purchase.