Opportunity Solution Tree is a visual framework that helps product teams and organizations systematically identify how to reach a desired outcome.
About this framework
Creator:
Teresa Torres
Used for:
Discovery
The Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) is a visual framework developed by Teresa Torres, a product discovery coach, to help product teams and organizations systematically identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential solutions to address specific customer needs or desired outcomes. It provides a structured approach to navigating the product discovery process, ensuring that ideas are well-grounded in user insights and aligned with business goals.
The OST framework consists of four main components:
Desired Outcome: Clearly define the specific goal or outcome you aim to achieve. This serves as the guiding star for the entire exploration process.
Opportunities: Identify opportunities that represent areas of potential value creation or pain points to address for your target audience. These opportunities should stem from user research, market analysis, or other sources of insight.
Solutions: For each opportunity, generate potential solutions that address the identified pain points or needs. Brainstorm a wide range of options, without filtering or judging them prematurely.
Experiments and Riskiest Assumptions: Outline experiments or tests that can be conducted to validate or invalidate each proposed solution. Additionally, identify the riskiest assumptions underlying each solution, as these are areas that require further investigation or validation.
Benefits of Using an Opportunity Solution Tree
Structured Ideation: Provides a systematic approach to generating and organizing ideas, ensuring that solutions are aligned with user needs and business objectives.
Visual Representation: Creates a visual map of the product discovery process, making it easier to communicate ideas, identify gaps, and track progress.
Prioritization: Facilitates the prioritization of potential solutions based on their potential impact, feasibility, and risk profile.
Alignment and Shared Understanding: Promotes alignment among team members and stakeholders, ensuring that everyone is working towards a common goal.
Continuous Discovery: Encourages continuous learning and adaptation throughout the product discovery process.
When to Use an Opportunity Solution Tree
Early-stage product development: When exploring potential solutions for new products or features.
Prioritizing product backlog: When evaluating and prioritizing a backlog of product ideas.
Addressing customer pain points: When identifying and addressing specific customer pain points or unmet needs.
Validating assumptions: When testing and validating assumptions underlying proposed solutions.
Improving communication and collaboration: When fostering communication and collaboration among team members and stakeholders.
The OST framework is a valuable tool for product teams and organizations that want to make informed decisions about product development and ensure that they are building products that meet the needs of their target users.
