To help clearly define the current situation, challenges, and desired outcomes in a concise statement that guides the innovation process.

This tool supports individuals or groups in identifying the problem they wish to address, articulating long-term and short-term goals, and formulating a clear system-level problem statement. It encourages structured reflection and alignment across stakeholders, serving as a foundation for strategic planning and innovation design.

Participants begin by discussing and writing down the current challenge—what is happening that is not desirable? Use the framing:

“The current system moves away from our desired outcome because it…”

Next, they define a long-term goal—what the system should ideally look like in five years:

“A system which/where/that…”

Then, they identify a short-term goal—a foreseeable outcome within 1–5 years that marks progress towards the long-term vision:

“A system which/where/that…”

These elements are then combined into a system-level problem statement:

“We are trying to move from a system where (the problem) to a system that/which/where (goal).”

For example:

“We are trying to move from a system where farmers are not in the driving seat of agricultural innovation to a system where ideas from farmers and their expertise are at the heart of innovation.”

Finally, participants are encouraged to validate the statement with relevant stakeholders and refine it based on feedback.

Tips for use:

• Use prompting questions to guide reflection.
• Encourage plain language and clarity.
• Consider mapping multiple interim goals to visualise change over time.
• Use the statement as a launchpad for deeper topic exploration.

• Printed or digital templates
• Pens, markers, sticky notes
• Flipcharts (optional for group work)