On 3rd August 2023, 2Degrees hosted a roundtable event themed "Understanding a Problem vs Designing a Solution." The discussions focused on several key areas:

• Opinion-Based Decision Making: Emphasising the use of independent references to achieve alignment among stakeholders.

• Time Constraints: Addressing the challenges of designing solutions under tight deadlines and the importance of managing time effectively.

• Understanding Business Problems: Techniques and strategies for identifying the core business problems and ensuring that solutions align with business goals.

• Stakeholder Solution Designs: Handling situations where business stakeholders present a pre-defined solution rather than articulating the problem.

• Abstraction and Design Models: Encouraging architects to consider abstraction, design models, and trade-offs beyond their experience with specific technologies.

• Adapting Mindset: Helping architects shift their mindset from development to understanding the essence of problems before jumping into solutions.

• Supporting Less Experienced Architects: Assisting less experienced architects, especially those transitioning from engineering roles, in developing their skills in business problem analysis.