What is an essential criterion for clearly stating your purpose in resolving a problem?

Clearly stating your purpose in resolving a problem is fundamentally tied to providing a compelling rationale. This criterion goes beyond simply listing criteria; it requires explaining the reasons behind the desire to resolve the problem. A compelling rationale helps to frame the problem in a way that emphasizes its importance and the target audience's needs, ensuring that everyone involved understands why the issue must be addressed.

By articulating a strong rationale, you can also motivate stakeholders and team members to engage more deeply in the resolution process, fostering collaboration and commitment to finding a solution. This is particularly crucial in environments where multiple parties may have differing views on the issue at hand.

While acknowledging customer emotions or defining step-by-step solutions are important in the problem-solving process, they do not inherently serve the central purpose of clearly defining the "why" behind addressing the issue. Listing important criteria is also valuable; however, without a compelling rationale, those criteria might not resonate with others or guide them effectively toward resolution.