Book
The Problem-First Method
Stop building solutions in search of a problem. A practical framework to help you recognize when you've drifted from the problem, and find your way back before it's too late.
Where to buy
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eBook & audiobook
problem-first-method.com (PDF, EPUB, and the audiobook bundle narrated by Jeffrey Holz) -
Paperback
Amazon · Walmart · Bookshop.org -
Hardcover
Amazon
Synopsis
Stop building solutions in search of a problem. The Problem-First Method is a practical framework for founders, product managers, and builders who want to recognize when they've drifted from the problem, and find their way back before it's too late. Drawing on real products, real mistakes, and real customer conversations, it shows you how to frame the right problem from first principles and evidence. It hands you concrete tools, the Feature Alignment Document and the 10-Question Checklist, for validating a problem before you build, alongside candid stories of teams that solved the wrong thing and teams that succeeded by staying close to the problem.
About the author
Kevin Scott Dias is the founder of Ambiki and author of The Problem-First Method. His career spans investment banking, teaching English in Japan, translation technology, and healthcare software, and he previously served as CTO of Sidekick Therapy Partners. The book's tools came out of real products, real mistakes, real customer conversations, and the uncomfortable work of figuring out what was actually worth building. He lives in Oyama, Japan with his wife and three sons.
From the reviews
“Probably one of the most useful books a product builder could read right now.”
“The Problem-First Method is one of those rare product books that actually feels written by someone who has sat through the chaos of building software in real life. Not the polished LinkedIn version of startup life. The actual version.”
“Timely, exceptional, informative, and groundbreakingly original, The Problem-First Method is exceptionally well written and impressively ‘reader/user’ friendly in organization and presentation.”
“Well written and insightful, Dias’s book is the one I wish I’d had 10 years ago. Thankfully, readers have it now. Very highly recommended.”
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