- Complex. They involve a number of stakeholders in a complex environment with surprising causal relationships. Real-world problems may contain parts that are technically complex, but it is often the social and environmental complexity of these problems that overwhelm most current problem-solving, and product & project management approaches.
- Unique. There are many factors and conditions, all embedded in a dynamic social and environmental context, that no two problems are alike, and the solutions to them will always be custom designed and fitted.
- Interconnected. Unlike traditional design problems that can be articulated or defined, real-world problems often have no clear boundaries. There is always more than one explanation for a problem, with the appropriateness of the explanation depending greatly on the individual perspective of the stakeholder. They bleed into each other and are often symptoms of other problems.