What Problem Traversal Theory Is
Created by Shadow Smith, Problem Traversal Theory (PTT) is a practical, problem management framework built on a simple, yet profound idea:
Every problem is a desire.
Without desire, there are no problems—only neutral observations of the world. This distinction matters because it prevents energy from being wasted on situations that don’t truly need action. Instead, it focuses efforts on authentic, meaningful problems that drive real change.
Why Learn Problem Traversal Theory
This framework and its activities will empower you to systematically:
- Uncover more opportunities hiding in plain site through problem identification.
- Deeply understand a problem domain and identify inobvious solutions through problem traversal.
- Avoid wasting time on non-problems that don’t need attention through problem validation.
- And generate true value through problem clearing.
Put simply: with Problem Traversal Theory, you’ll be able to repeatedly generate more value by solving more right problems and avoiding more wrong ones.
Why Problem Traversal Theory Was Created
Back in 2020, I learned of a failed startup valued at $120 million called Juicero.
The story of this company, created to solve a non-problem, captivated me, but I was hooked less on what ultimately took them under and more on this idea that many people were working on problems that felt real to them that weren’t.
I needed to know how this was possible.
I needed to know how a bunch of incredibly talented people could come together and over-engineer such a complex piece of machinery for, ultimately, no reason.
This stuck with me because I’ve seen, and had been a part of, many situations like this, where a problem was taken extremely seriously only for it to not matter.
I also began noticing that people I work with across all career levels and disciplines were regularly facing situations similar to Juicero, such as Software Engineers executing on solutions to ill-defined problems.
While mentoring team members through these situations, I coined the term Misproblem to represent this idea that an ancestor problem to something that feels like a real problem might, in fact, be a non-problem.
After seeing the positive impact of raising awareness of this often hidden and expensive phenomenon, I wanted to become a master of problems, but I didn’t know where to start.
The timeless concept “mastery comes from mastering the basics” has been echoed by great minds throughout history from Aristotle to Bruce Lee, but if you want to become an extraordinary problem expert, where do you begin?
What are the fundamentals of a problem you need to master to become a master of them?
At the start of my journey while seeking the answer to this question, I came across many definitions for problem, but none decomposed the idea down to the atomic level I hoped to study.
So I devoted many years of my life and developed my own mechanistic understanding of problems instead.
Now, I’m sharing my discoveries and techniques with you as Problem Traversal Theory to increase your ability to solve root problems, create lasting change, and improve lives—starting with your own.
About the Author
I’m Shadow Smith, a self-taught, Principal Engineer passionate about solving complex problems and helping others do the same. Since 2014, I’ve worked in the business credit and insurance industries, collaborating with Business, Product, and Engineering professionals to eliminate assumptions, minimize waste, and maximize the impact of executed solutions.
You can learn more about me and my work at shadowsmith.com.