As a senior person, these are some of my favorite types of projects, because I feel like it's where I'm the most useful, and where I can have the most impact: understand the need, then implement the need rather than the request.

When I see people struggling with these, it's usually from a lack of information seeking/gathering, where they first sit down and code rather than spend the first few weeks talking, reviewing understanding, and, most importantly, finding those few A-team people that have meaningful input.

Definitely not something someone early in their career should be given, but these types of problems usually benefit from devaluing manager input, since they have a disconnected/warped perception of reality. 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.