Problem finding
step of problem solving that includes acquiring insight into what is missing, one application of creativity

Problem finding is the act of problem solving in which intellectual vision and insight are used into what is missing. Problem finding plays a major role in application of creativity.
Different terms have been used for problem finding in literature including problem discovery, problem formulation, problem identification, problem construction, and problem posing. It has been studied in many fields. Mathematics and science prefer to the term problem posing.
Processes in problem finding
Basadur distinguished problem discovery and problem formulation; then later problem generation and problem conceptualization. Runco and Chand distinguish problem identification and problem definition.
Scholars distinguish between well-defined and ill-defined problems. Briggs and Reinig defined a well-defined solution in terms of space solution space. Pretz, Naples, and Sternberg defined a well-defined problem as one for which the parts of the solution are closely related or clearly based on the information given.
“Problem finding” enters the record as step of problem solving that includes acquiring insight into what is missing, one application of creativity. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Problem, finding and step can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Problem finding” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Problem, finding and step provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q13604401. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Problem finding” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.