Ask a series of questions that are intended to ensure clarity around whether you are addressing the right problem or not. These questions can include the following possibilities:

• Are there bottlenecks, or places where your work-flow slows down, which could be improved?
• What might your customers want you to improve? (You can look to customer complaints to discover possibilities.)
• What smaller problems are you encountering that could turn into bigger ones if unattended?
• What kinds of innovative things are your competitors doing that might improve your services?
• Are there changes you could make now in predicting future trends, which would put you/keep you ahead of the game?

If, after asking all these questions, you are still not sure whether you have identified the right problem, no worries. Wait until you get to step three before addressing this worry.