Defending Dignity A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 3.5. IN PRACTICE: USING OPERA AS A PROBLEM MAPPING TOOL A problem map – also known as a problem tree – is a brainstorming tool that can be very useful at the start of a monitoring activity, when you are planning your research. It is a tool that visualizes the different causes and effects of the particular problem that is being investigated. It helps to break down a problem into smaller, more defined issues. It can also help to establish a hypothesis of the problem, identify what further evidence is needed to test the hypothesis, make a strong case and propose convincing recommendations. In particular, it can help identify whether a particular human rights problem is the result of a failure to respect, protect or fulfil (or some combination of the three). This, in turn, will help you decide whether events-based analysis, policy analysis or some combination of the two will be needed. OPERA can be a helpful way to classify and organize the various issues identified in a problem map, in order to show the interconnections between the various issues and how they contribute to the problem. You could either start with OPERA as a framework for your problem map or group the issues identified in the problem map into the four steps. However you identify the issues you want to investigate, they should form the basis of your research questions. For example, if one issue is “School feeding programs do not allocate enough food”, the research question would be: “How much food do school feeding programs allocate?” A simple table, like the one below, can help keep track of how the issues you identify form the basis of the research questions, and how the research questions determine the evidence you need to gather. Issue Outcomes Policy Efforts Resources Assessment 40 Research question Evidence needed