The parable of the elephant goes like this:
A group of men who are blind come across an elephant and strive to learn what it is by touching it. Each man feels a different part of the body, but only one part at a time. “It’s a tree trunk,” declares the one feeling the leg. “No, it’s a fan,” says another whose hand touched the elephant’s ear. “I think it’s a rope,” added the man who felt the tail.
The lesson is that while your subjective experience may be true, you’re limited by not seeing all parts holistically. We see this happening in project teams as well. One person may focus on the business outcome, another on solutions and technology, and another represents the customer perspective.
There’s a better way. Showing the relationships between these views is most helpful in harmonizing the collective team.
What is an Opportunity Solution Tree (OST)?
The Opportunity Solution Tree (OST), pioneered by Teresa Torres, is a tool that helps teams find a balanced team perspective and make better decisions. It helps teams see the connection between their business goals, what customers need, and the possible solutions they can create.
By using the OST, teams can break down big problems into smaller parts, think of different ways to solve them, and test their ideas quickly to see what works best. This way, everyone stays on the same page and works together more effectively.
Here are three steps on how it works:
1. Essential inputs
First, you need good inputs. Teresa recommends you:
- Have a theory of your target customer and the value proposition you plan to offer them.
- Form a clearly defined business outcome.
- Conduct research before creating the tree to identify unmet needs.
2. Identifying and mapping opportunities
Write the business outcome before mapping out the customer opportunity, which should come from valid findings from customer interviews, surveys, or other feedback. The opportunities may have a small hierarchy, with bigger customer opportunities broken down into smaller ones.
Spend time with your team discussing and visualizing these opportunities before moving on to the next step.
3. Brainstorming and prioritizing solutions
Pick one customer opportunity to start with. Brainstorm possible solutions with your team, and prioritize them. Pick your top three solutions, then consider what tests you’d conduct to ensure product-market fit.
When you’re done, you’ll have a visual map of individual tests up through solutions, all connected to the customer opportunity and eventually the business outcome.
How product teams can leverage the OST
Product teams in particular can use the OST to improve their work together:
- Goal alignment: Pin down a clear business outcome so everyone on your team is working toward the same target.
- Customer-centric approach: Use your research to map out customer needs and opportunities, so your solutions are on point.
- Collaborative ideation: Rally your crew for brainstorming sessions to generate and prioritize high-impact solutions.
- Visual mapping: Develop a visual map that links tests to solutions, customer opportunities, and business goals.
Key benefits to Teresa’s approach
Keep in mind, this is a collaborative exercise the team can do together. Make sure you’re tapping into the knowledge of the group and a diversity of voices to achieve long-term project alignment.
Some other benefits of this activity:
- Maintain a shared understanding of reaching the business goal
- Bring customer needs directly into solution development
- Unlock better decision-making that balances business and customer needs
- Learn faster with more confidence and focus
- Keep stakeholders engaged and aligned
The act of visualizing the relationship between the key aspects of a solution development is critical. When you complete an Opportunity Solution Tree in Mural, your team can easily see how different components connect and relate.
Try the Opportunity Solution Tree template with your team. For more about Teresa Torres, check out her book and LinkedIn.
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