A problem is a like a puzzle (say, of 1000 pieces).

We must have a clear understanding of the picture that we're trying to build.

We need to have all the pieces (even if we don't know what all the pieces are. it is our job to make them) Our capabilities are largely determined by our capacity to see ALL THE PIECES at once, As opposed to seeing 1 piece at a time in a stack of 1000 pieces.