Decoding the problem statement
The #1 elimination reason is solving the wrong problem. Slow down here.
Screening judges read a hundred decks in an evening. The fastest way to be eliminated is also the most common: a beautiful answer to a question that was never asked.
TL;DR · Key Takeaways
Key takeaways
- Read the PS five times — ask, deliverable spec, constraints, rubric, sponsor agenda — and reconcile the team to one sentence before any work begins.
- The printed evaluation rubric is the answer key: budget deck space proportional to its weights.
- Format violations kill decks unread; maintain a submission checklist from day one and re-check it an hour before the deadline.
A competition problem statement (PS) is a dense little document — typically one to three pages with a company background, a situation, a question, deliverable specs, and evaluation criteria. Teams skim it once and start "solutioning." Winners interrogate it like a legal contract, because every sentence was written deliberately by someone at the sponsor.
The five-layer read
Using the organiser Q&A window
Most competitions open a clarification channel — a Q&A webinar, a Discord/WhatsApp group, or an email window. Most teams ignore it. Use it twice: once to resolve genuine ambiguity ("does the budget cap include marketing spend?"), and once to listen — the questions other teams ask reveal how they're interpreting the PS, and organiser answers often narrow the field of acceptable solutions. Take notes on every answer, not just yours.
From PS to workplan in one sitting
Individual read (20 min)
Everyone reads all five layers alone and writes their one-sentence version of the ask. No discussion yet — this surfaces divergent readings before they hide.
Reconcile (30 min)
Compare sentences. Where they differ, return to the PS text and resolve from evidence. The agreed sentence goes at the top of the team doc and, later, on the title slide.
Extract the checklist
Deliverable specs, constraints, rubric weights, dates — into a single submission checklist with an owner. This document is checked again one hour before submission.
Draft the issue tree
Break the ask MECE-style into 3–4 workstreams (the next two modules cover research and solution). Assign owners and deadlines the same evening.
The "scope creep flex"
Teams love answering more than was asked — adding an app, an ESG angle, and a global expansion to a pricing question. Judges read it as inability to prioritise. Answer the ask completely; park adjacent ideas on one appendix slide titled "Beyond the brief."