The problem a customer first describes is almost never the problem worth solving — an FDE's first job is to dig until the real one surfaces.
The problem a customer first states is rarely the one worth solving: discovery techniques (ask why, watch real work, find the decision), the jobs-to-be-done lens, mapping stakeholders and constraints, and writing a confirmed problem frame.
The single most common way products fail is also the most avoidable: they solve a problem nobody actually has, or solve a real problem the wrong way, because no one deeply understood the problem first. Engineers and PMs alike are wired to jump to solutions — it's more fun to build than to investigate — but the discipline that separates good product management from expensive guessing is falling in love with the problem, not the solution. Understanding the problem deeply, before building, is where good products begin.
The most common way products fail is also the most avoidable: they solve a problem nobody has, because no one understood the problem first. Engineers and PMs alike are wired to jump to solutions, but the discipline that separates good PM from expensive guessing is falling in love with the problem, not the solution.