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A problem-definition pack for one real Nigerian business

The capstone project for Structured Problem-Solving for Nigerian Business — a free Business course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A written pack of roughly 900 to 1,600 words containing: the quoted complaint with its date and source; the complaint unbundled into symptom, assumed cause and preferred solution; one written question with its decision, deadline, decision-maker and blocker; scope in and out plus an honest inventory of what data exists and what does not; an issue tree described or photographed, at least two levels deep with six or more leaves, each leaf annotated with analysis, data source and days, and one node's MECE demonstrated on an awkward item; rough sizing of the second-level branches with the arithmetic shown, a two-axis ranking, the two branches you would work first and one you pruned with its reason; a dated provisional hypothesis with two designed tests stating the true-case and false-case expectations and one piece of evidence that would make you abandon it; and the volatility and compliance checks with sources and dates.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose ONE real business you can actually get access to — your own, your employer's, a department you work in, or a shop, farm, salon, agency or SME whose owner will talk to you. Write the complaint in the person's own words in one or two sentences, and say how and when you got it (a conversation, a meeting, your own observation) with the date. Use first names or initials only for individuals, and round any sensitive figures while keeping them realistic — a rounded real number is fine, an invented one is not.
  2. Unbundle that complaint into its three parts, each stated separately: the symptom (name the exact number that moved — revenue, revenue per outlet, margin, month-end cash — not just the direction), the cause the person has already assumed (quote the words in their complaint that reveal it), and the solution they half want you to confirm. Then write ONE question in a single sentence that is specific, debatable, answerable within four weeks, and attached to a decision. State the decision, the date it must be taken by, who signs it off, and who could block it without being able to approve it.
  3. Write the boundary: at least three things explicitly inside the question and at least three explicitly outside it. Then write what data actually exists — what is written down, where it lives, who keeps it, and how far back it goes — and name at least two things you would need that do not exist, with what it would cost in days to start creating them.
  4. Build the issue tree with your question copied word for word at the root. It must go at least two levels deep, have between two and four branches at every node, and end in at least six leaves. Demonstrate MECE at one node explicitly: take one awkward real item — an unusual customer, an odd cost, a strange order — and show which single bucket it falls into and why it cannot fall into another. Annotate EVERY leaf with three things: the specific analysis to be done, the data source it would use, and the days of work it would take.
  5. Size before you work: put a rough figure on each second-level branch — naira, volume, hours, whatever the branch is made of — showing the arithmetic you used, even if it is order-of-magnitude and could be wrong by half. Then rank the branches on the two axes from the course, how much each could move the answer against what it costs to settle, name the TWO you would work first, and name at least one branch you pruned, with the reason it could not change the recommendation.
  6. State a provisional hypothesis as a full assertion with a subject and a verb, dated and labelled provisional — not a topic. Then for at least TWO tests of it, write what you would expect to see if the hypothesis is true, what you would expect to see if it is false, and the specific analysis that would tell those two pictures apart. Finish with one named piece of evidence that would make you abandon the hypothesis altogether.
  7. Close with the two reality checks. First, volatility: name at least two costs or prices in this business that can move (an exchange rate, fuel or diesel, a key input, a rate or levy), and for each say how the business currently reprices, how fast it can, and what happened the last time it tried. Second, compliance: name at least one authority that could refuse permission for something you might end up recommending, the specific rule or approval you would need to check, and the official source you would check it on — with the date you checked or would check it.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 8 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The complaint is real and properly unbundled, and the question is usable: an actual quoted complaint with date and source, the symptom named as a specific number rather than a direction, the assumed cause evidenced by the person's own words, and one single-sentence question that is specific, debatable, answerable in four weeks and attached to a named decision with a date, a decision-maker and a blocker20%
The tree is structurally sound: the agreed question copied verbatim at the root, at least two levels of depth, two to four branches at every node, at least six leaves, and MECE demonstrated at one node using a genuinely awkward item rather than a typical one25%
The leaves are work rather than topics, and grounded in reality: every leaf annotated with a specific analysis, a named data source and an estimate in days, with the scope statement and data inventory showing honestly what exists, what does not, and what it would cost in days to create15%
Branches are sized and prioritised with reasoning shown: a rough figure on each second-level branch with the arithmetic visible, a ranking on the two axes of possible movement against cost to settle, two branches named as first work, and at least one pruned branch with a reason that turns on its inability to change the recommendation15%
The hypothesis is a testable assertion, not a topic: dated, labelled provisional, written as a full claim, with two tests each stating what would be seen if true and if false and the analysis that distinguishes them, plus one named piece of evidence that would force abandonment15%
The reality checks are specific to this business: at least two moving costs or prices with how and how fast the business can reprice and what happened at the last attempt, and at least one named authority with the specific rule or approval to be checked, the official source, and a date10%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Structured Problem-Solving for Nigerian Business before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Structured Problem-Solving for Nigerian Business is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters). You can mention a public link to supporting files in the write-up. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 7 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Structured Problem-Solving for Nigerian Business is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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