> I take these projects only if the understanding is that I'll be solving a problem, taking input from all involved, rather than implementing a specific solutio

> I take these projects only if the understanding is that I'll be solving a problem, taking input from all involved, rather than implementing a specific solution. If this is the case, I would say you're not being "set up to fail", which was the explicit description the GP gave. "Set up to fail", to me, implies that whoever is tasking you is not tasking you to actually solve the problem, either because they're too clueless to know that what they're specifically tasking you to do won't work, or because there is some other hidden agenda in play.