SOME DISCUSSION PROBES
RE: THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

What basically is at issue for the group--
i.e., what people disagree about
or need to know more about:

Issues of exigency:

Is there a problem here?
How do we know it is a problem?
Why is it considered a problem?
Who is it a problem for?
Does the problem affect us?

Issues of fact:

What is going on?  What are the details?
What caused this to happen?
What kind of harm is being done?  To whom?
What groups or organizations are affected by the problem?
What groups would be part of the solution? 
How does our situation compare with other places?
What do we know about the problem?
What do we need to find out before we can go on?

Issues of value:

How serious is the harm?
What are we really after?
What changes would eliminate or reduce the problem?
What are our criteria?
What are the priorities among our criteria?

Issues of policy:

What should be done about the problem?
How do we pay for it?
Is it legal?
Could the solution work?
What side effects would it have?
Who would do what by when to put the solution into action?

Link to Problem Analysis Background