Data Vanguards.
Problem-Framing Field Guide

Frame the right problem before your club builds anything.

Most clubs jump to solutions before they understand the challenge. This one-pager is the thinking behind our Problem-Framing Engine: frame it, map where you are, then pick the method that actually fits.

The three moves

01 — Frame

Cynefin

Decide what kind of challenge this is. Clear, complicated, complex, or chaotic — each calls for a completely different response from your club.

02 — Map

Double Diamond

Locate yourself: Discover, Define, Develop, or Deliver. Are you still in the problem space with fans, or the solution space with your team?

03 — Select

Method + next move

Pick one method that fits the frame and stage — then commit to one concrete next step, not five competing priorities.

Frame it — the Cynefin domains

Clear. Cause and effect are obvious. Apply the proven approach and commit — don't over-engineer a solved problem.
Complicated. There's a right answer, but it takes expertise. Bring in the right people, analyse, then plan.
Complex. Cause and effect only make sense in hindsight. Run safe-to-fail experiments, learn from what fans do, amplify what works.
Chaotic. No clear cause and effect, and the pressure is on. Act to stabilise first, then reassess.

Select it — the five methods

Jobs to be Done

Understand the real job fans are hiring you for

Clubs often build apps fans don't open. JTBD asks: what progress are supporters actually trying to make? Build for that job, not the one you assumed.

Next move: Interview five season ticket holders or lapsed members; write each job as "When…, I want to…, so I can…."

Working Backwards

Start from the outcome

Write the press release for the finished solution before building anything — it forces agreement on who benefits and how. Surface board disagreement now, on paper, where it's cheap.

Next move: Draft a one-page future press release with a concrete fan or member win; circulate it to find the real disagreement.

Design Thinking

Get human-centred when it's still fuzzy

Empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test — for problems where you don't yet understand what fans truly need. Reframe before you try to solve.

Next move: Shadow 3–5 fans or members at a real touchpoint, then rewrite the problem as one "How might we…" statement.

Lean (Build–Measure–Learn)

Test the riskiest assumption first

Most sports technology projects fail not because the team built badly — but because they built the wrong thing. Lean finds that out in weeks, not after a six-figure build.

Next move: State your riskiest assumption, pick one metric, run a one-week experiment before committing to the build.

Design Sprint

Big question to tested prototype in days

A 3–5 day sprint to map, sketch, decide, prototype, and test with real supporters — fast. Best when you need evidence before a budget decision.

Next move: Block four days with commercial, ops, and someone who talks to fans: map, sketch, prototype, test with five supporters.

The rule of thumb

Before you spend a penny

Technology bolted onto a badly framed problem is expensive noise — especially in sport, where budgets are tight and trust from fans is hard to rebuild.

Rule: If you can't state the challenge in one sentence that fans would recognise, you're not ready to build.

Turn this framing into a plan.

A Data Vanguards diagnostic ranks your opportunities and names the first thing worth building — in one focused session.

Book a diagnostic →
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