To master the art of problem solving, master the art of problem stating. http://www.jroller.com/comments/njain/Weblog/to_master_the_art_problem
The penalty for failing to define the problem is that you can waste a lot of time solving the wrong problem. This is a double-barreled penalty because you also don't solve the right problem.
The problem definition defines what the problem is without any references to possible solutions.
