Phase 1: Client Discovery & Problem Decomposition · 60 min · Python · Markdown
The 5-Step Decomposition Framework
Structure the chaos before you code the chaos.
What you will learn
- Apply Step 1: Problem framing — restate the business problem in measurable terms with success criteria
- Apply Step 2: Constraint mapping — data, security, latency, compliance, budget, timeline
- Apply Step 3: Solution decomposition — break into AI-solvable and non-AI components
- Apply Step 4: MVP scoping — smallest deployment that proves value
- Apply Step 5: Risk and evaluation plan — what can go wrong, how to measure, rollback plan
Objective
What you'll learn
This lesson takes approximately 60 min. By the end, you will be able to:
- Apply Step 1: Problem framing — restate the business problem in measurable terms with success criteria
- Apply Step 2: Constraint mapping — data, security, latency, compliance, budget, timeline
- Apply Step 3: Solution decomposition — break into AI-solvable and non-AI components
- Apply Step 4: MVP scoping — smallest deployment that proves value
- Apply Step 5: Risk and evaluation plan — what can go wrong, how to measure, rollback plan
The Problem
Clients don't come with well-defined technical problems. They come with vague business pain: "our support team is overwhelmed" or "we need to search our documents better." The 5-step decomposition framework turns that vague pain into a technical specification with clear acceptance criteria, data requirements, and evaluation metrics. This is the single most tested skill in FDE interviews.
The five steps flow in order, each building on the output of the last:
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