Problemsel

Problemsel is a term used in some scholarly and practitioner writings to denote a framework or approach for selecting which problems to tackle within a given system or project. It is not a single established method, but rather a meta-process that guides how problems are identified, evaluated, and prioritized in light of constraints such as time, budget, and strategic goals.

Origin and usage of the term are limited to niche discussions in systems engineering, project portfolio management, and policy planning. The word is typically presented as a composite of “problem” and “selection,” signaling its focus on choosing high-impact issues rather than solving every problem in a domain. Because the concept is not standardized, definitions vary between authors and contexts.

Conceptual components commonly associated with problemsel include problem discovery and framing, criteria definition, scoring or weighting of criteria, prioritization methods, and iteration. Typical methods used within a problemsel framework are multi-criteria decision analysis, scoring models, analytic hierarchy processes, and resource-constrained optimization. Stakeholder input, uncertainty analysis, and alignment with strategic objectives are frequently emphasized to ensure relevance and buy-in.

Applications of problemsel appear in areas such as project selection, research portfolio management, requirements engineering, and policy design, where limited resources necessitate deliberate prioritization. Critics note that the term can obscure methodological details and that subjective judgments in criteria weighting may influence outcomes. As a concept, problemsel remains informal and situational, with definitions and practices evolving by discipline and use case.