Build Opportunity Solution Trees using Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery methodology. Structure discovery from outcomes to opportunities to solutions to experiments.
Build Opportunity Solution Trees using Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery methodology. Structure discovery from outcomes to opportunities to solutions to experiments.
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Opportunity Solution Trees (OST) are a visual framework developed by Teresa Torres for structuring continuous product discovery. They connect business outcomes to customer needs (opportunities) to solutions to experiments, creating clear traceability for product decisions.
┌────────────────────┐
│ OUTCOME │
│ (Business Goal) │
└─────────┬──────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│ │ │
┌─────┴─────┐ ┌─────┴─────┐ ┌─────┴─────┐
│ Opportunity│ │ Opportunity│ │ Opportunity│
│ (Need) │ │ (Need) │ │ (Need) │
└─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘
│ │ │
┌─────┼─────┐ ┌─────┼─────┐ ┌─────┼─────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
Sol Sol Sol Sol Sol Sol Sol Sol Sol
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
Exp Exp Exp Exp Exp Exp Exp Exp Exp
The measurable business goal the team is trying to achieve.
Good outcomes are:
Examples:
Anti-patterns:
Customer needs, pain points, or desires that, if addressed, would drive the outcome.
Good opportunities are:
Discovery Methods:
Opportunity Statement Template:
[Customer segment] needs a way to [need/desire]
because [context/reason].
Example:
New developers need a way to understand unfamiliar codebases
because onboarding documentation is often outdated or incomplete.
Ideas for how to address opportunities. Multiple solutions per opportunity.
Brainstorming Guidelines:
Solution Types:
Small, fast experiments to de-risk solutions before building.
Assumption Categories:
Experiment Types:
Work with leadership to clarify:
Weekly Customer Interviews:
Interview Snapshot Template:
Date: [Date]
Customer: [Name/Type]
Context: [Their situation]
Key Insights:
1. [Insight]
2. [Insight]
3. [Insight]
Opportunities Identified:
- [Opportunity]
- [Opportunity]
Quotes:
- "[Notable quote]"
Opportunity Mapping Session:
Prioritization Factors:
For each high-priority opportunity:
For each solution, list assumptions:
| Assumption Type | Question | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Desirability | Will users want this? | High |
| Usability | Can users figure this out? | Medium |
| Feasibility | Can we build this in 2 weeks? | Low |
| Viability | Will this cannibalize paid plan? | Medium |
For each risky assumption:
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday | Interview prep, review upcoming interviews |
| Tuesday-Wednesday | Conduct 1-2 customer interviews |
| Thursday | Create interview snapshots, update tree |
| Friday | Team sync, decide next experiments |
Do:
Don't:
Instead of: "Would you use a feature that...?"
Ask: "Tell me about the last time you had to [job]. Walk me through what happened."
Follow-up Probes:
Given an outcome and customer research, generate:
From interview transcripts:
For a solution, generate:
Generate tree as Mermaid diagram:
graph TD
O[Outcome: Reduce churn by 20%]
O --> OP1[Need: Faster onboarding]
O --> OP2[Need: Better support]
O --> OP3[Need: Feature parity]
OP1 --> S1A[Interactive tutorial]
OP1 --> S1B[Video walkthrough]
OP2 --> S2A[AI chatbot]
OP2 --> S2B[Community forum]
Inputs from:
jtbd-analysis skill: Underserved outcomes → Opportunitiesdesign-thinking skill: User needs → OpportunitiesOutputs to:
lean-startup skill: Prioritized solutions → MVPsassumption-testing skill: Assumptions → ExperimentsFor additional Opportunity Mapping resources, see:
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