Opportunity Solution Tree
Visualizes connections between goals and solutions.
PURPOSE
Product teams often lose sight of the connection between strategic goals, customer problems, and concrete solution ideas. The Opportunity Solution Tree makes these connections visible and prevents teams from pursuing solutions that don't address real opportunities. It creates a shared understanding of why certain experiments and features are prioritized.
HOW TO USE
At the top of the tree stands the desired outcome, beneath which opportunities (customer needs and pain points) are arranged as branches. Under each opportunity, possible solutions and below those experiments for validation are placed. The tree is continuously updated as discovery yields new insights.
WHAT IT IS
The Opportunity Solution Tree is a visual framework developed by Teresa Torres that connects outcomes, opportunities, solutions, and experiments in a tree structure. It has four levels: Outcome (goal), Opportunity (customer need), Solution (solution idea), and Experiment (validation). The tool is central to the Continuous Discovery practice in Product Management.
EXAMPLE
Example: Your product team at a learning platform has the goal of increasing the completion rate of online courses by 20%. You use the Opportunity Solution Tree to visually connect this goal with concrete customer problems (e.g., lack of motivation, modules too long) and possible solution experiments (gamification, micro-learning).