User Story Writer
deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills
Writes user stories in Mike Cohn's format with Gherkin acceptance criteria, turning user needs into development-ready work with testable conditions.
Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria.
Install Define Problem Statement
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statement --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .claude/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .claude/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statementType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statement --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .agents/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .agents/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statement --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .cursor/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .cursor/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git --path skills/define-problem-statement--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statement --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .gemini/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .gemini/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statementInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .github/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .github/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install product-on-purpose/pm-skills define-problem-statement --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/define-problem-statement .opencode/skills/define-problem-statement && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "define-problem-statement" agent skill from https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/define-problem-statement into .opencode/skills/define-problem-statement/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "define-problem-statement", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
define-problem-statement- GitHub stars
- 715
- Token cost
- ~932 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 436 words
- Files
- 6 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 68
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
At a glance
Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria.
- Works in 6 steps: Identify the User Segment → Understand the Pain Points → Establish Business Context → …
- Starting a new initiative
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, When NOT to Use, Instructions and Output Format, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Define Problem Statement is an agent skill from product-on-purpose/pm-skills. Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria. Use when starting a new initiative, realigning a drifted project, or communicating up to leadership.
Its SKILL.md is about 930 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 8 other files, including reference files (for example `HISTORY.md`, `evals/output-scenarios/checkout-abandonment.md` and `evals/trigger-fixtures.json`).
It sits in Product & Project Management. The repository describes itself as: 68 plug-and-play, best-practice product management skills for AI agents: 30 Triple Diamond phase + 11 foundation + 12 utility + 15 tool (Foundation Sprint + Design Sprint). Plus… The licence is Apache-2.0.
When your agent uses it
- Starting a new initiative
- Realigning a drifted project
- Communicating up to leadership
Example prompts
- “Use the define-problem-statement skill to create a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria”
- “/define-problem-statement”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Identify the User Segment
- Understand the Pain Points
- Establish Business Context
- Define Success Metrics
- Surface Constraints and Considerations
- Capture Open Questions
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 1cef1a9. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Define Problem Statement loads about 932 tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 56 tokens; SKILL.md has 436 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from product-on-purpose/pm-skills at commit 1cef1a9, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© product-on-purpose). 436 words, ~932 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/define-problem-statement/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 5 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- define-problem-statement
- description
- Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria. Use when starting a new initiative, realigning a drifted project, or communicating up to leadership.
- license
- Apache-2.0
- metadata.phase
- define
- metadata.version
- 2.1.0
- metadata.updated
- 2026-06-10
- metadata.category
- problem-framing
- metadata.frameworks
- triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking
- metadata.author
- product-on-purpose
<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->Problem Statement
A problem statement is a concise document that frames the problem you're solving, articulates the impact on users and the business, and defines clear success criteria. It serves as the foundation for all subsequent product work by ensuring alignment on what problem to solve before jumping to how to solve it.
When to Use
- Starting a new initiative or project to establish shared understanding
- Realigning a drifted project back to its original intent
- Communicating up to leadership or stakeholders about priorities
- Evaluating whether a proposed solution actually addresses the core problem
- Onboarding new team members to provide context
When NOT to Use
- The problem is already agreed and engineering needs the spec -> use
deliver-prd - You want to propose and compare solution approaches -> use
develop-solution-brief - You are capturing customer motivation rather than a business problem -> use
define-jtbd-canvas - The "problem" is really an unvalidated assumption -> frame it with
define-hypothesisand test it before committing a team to it
Instructions
When asked to create a problem statement, follow these steps:
Identify the User Segment Ask who is experiencing this problem. Get specific about the user persona, role, or segment. Avoid vague descriptions like "users" - instead target "mobile shoppers completing checkout" or "enterprise admins managing 50+ users."
Understand the Pain Points Explore what friction, frustration, or unmet need the user experiences. Ask probing questions to understand the severity and frequency of the problem. Look for evidence from user research, support tickets, or behavioral data.
Establish Business Context Connect the user problem to business impact. How does this problem affect revenue, retention, growth, or strategic goals? Why should the organization invest in solving this now versus later?
Define Success Metrics Identify how you will measure success. What metrics will move if this problem is solved? Establish current baselines and target improvements. Be specific and time-bound.
Surface Constraints and Considerations Note any technical limitations, resource constraints, regulatory requirements, or dependencies that will shape the solution space.
Capture Open Questions Document what you don't know yet. What assumptions need validation? What additional research is needed?
Show full SKILL.md (90 more words)Show less
Output Format
Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md to structure the output. A complete problem statement fills every template section: Problem Summary; User Impact; Business Context; Success Criteria; Constraints & Considerations; and Open Questions.
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- Problem is specific to a defined user segment (not "all users")
- Impact is quantified with data or reasonable estimates
- Success metrics have baselines and targets
- Problem describes the "what" without prescribing the "how"
- Business context explains why this matters now
- Open questions are captured for follow-up
Examples
See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.
© product-on-purpose, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 5 other files (references) in skills/define-problem-statement of product-on-purpose/pm-skills.
- SKILL.md
- HISTORY.md
- evals/output-scenarios/checkout-abandonment.md
- evals/trigger-fixtures.json
- references/EXAMPLE.md
- references/TEMPLATE.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 1cef1a9
Compare with similar skills
Define Problem Statement next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Define Problem Statement this skillproduct-on-purpose/pm-skills | 715 | — | ~932 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| User Story Writerdeanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills | 7.2k | 2 repos | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Game Changing FeaturesopenstatusHQ/data-table-filters | 2.3k | 3 repos | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| CCPM Project Managementautomazeio/ccpm | 8.4k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Convex Create Componentspokvulcan/poker-planning | 114 | 8 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Self Improving Agentfarm-fe/farm | 5.6k | 2 repos | ~3.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
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Game Changing Features
openstatusHQ/data-table-filters
Find 10x product opportunities and high-leverage improvements.
CCPM Project Management
automazeio/ccpm
Runs a spec-driven workflow from PRD to epic to GitHub issues to parallel agents, with status, standup and blocked-work reports from bundled scripts.
Convex Create Component
spokvulcan/poker-planning
Builds reusable Convex components with isolated tables and app-facing APIs.
Self Improving Agent
farm-fe/farm
A universal self-improving agent that learns from ALL skill experiences.
Weekly Engineering Retro
garrytan/gstack
Builds a weekly engineering retrospective from git history: commit counts, per-person contributions, work patterns and code quality numbers over a chosen window.
More from product-on-purpose/pm-skills
All 68 skills in this repoDefine Hypothesis
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Defines a testable hypothesis with clear success metrics and a validation approach.
Define Jtbd Canvas
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Creates a Jobs to be Done canvas capturing the functional, emotional, and social dimensions of a customer job.
Define Opportunity Tree
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Creates an opportunity solution tree connecting a desired outcome to customer opportunities and candidate solutions, preventing solution-first jumps in continuous discovery.
Deliver Acceptance Criteria
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Generates structured Given/When/Then acceptance criteria for a user story or feature slice, covering the happy path, key failure scenarios, and non-functional expectations in testable form.
Deliver Launch Checklist
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Creates a cross-functional pre-launch checklist covering engineering, design, marketing, support, legal, and operations readiness, with owners, dates, and go/no-go criteria so nothing is missed…
Deliver Prd
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Related
Categories
Questions about Define Problem Statement
What does Define Problem Statement do?
Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria. Define Problem Statement is an agent skill from product-on-purpose/pm-skills. Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria.
When should I use Define Problem Statement?
Define Problem Statement fits situations like: starting a new initiative; realigning a drifted project; communicating up to leadership.
How do I install Define Problem Statement in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/define-problem-statement in product-on-purpose/pm-skills) into .claude/skills/define-problem-statement in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Define Problem Statement in Codex?
Run `npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/define-problem-statement in product-on-purpose/pm-skills) into .agents/skills/define-problem-statement in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Define Problem Statement in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add product-on-purpose/pm-skills --skill define-problem-statement -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/define-problem-statement, .gemini/skills/define-problem-statement, .github/skills/define-problem-statement and .opencode/skills/define-problem-statement in your project.
What does Define Problem Statement need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Define Problem Statement is instructions for the agent only.
Does Define Problem Statement access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Define Problem Statement safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Define Problem Statement use?
Define Problem Statement is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Define Problem Statement use?
About 932 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 1.4k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Define Problem Statement?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Define Problem Statement: User Story Writer (deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, 7.2k stars), Game Changing Features (openstatusHQ/data-table-filters, 2.3k stars), CCPM Project Management (automazeio/ccpm, 8.4k stars) and Convex Create Component (spokvulcan/poker-planning, 114 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Define Problem Statement?
product-on-purpose (a GitHub organization) maintains it in product-on-purpose/pm-skills, which has 715 GitHub stars. The repository holds 68 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.
Source: product-on-purpose/pm-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.