The Opportunity Solution Tree is a strategic tool used by teams to identify and explore multiple opportunities that could solve a customer problem. It starts with a clear desired outcome and branches out into opportunities and then into solutions, helping teams prioritize based on impact and feasibility. This framework encourages broad thinking, followed by a narrowing down process, ensuring that the final solutions are both innovative and closely aligned with user needs.
Define the desired outcome: Clearly articulate the end goal or problem to be solved. | Identify opportunities: Brainstorm and list potential opportunities that could lead to achieving the desired outcome. | Generate solutions: For each opportunity, develop multiple potential solutions. | Prioritize paths: Evaluate and prioritize the opportunities and solutions based on criteria such as impact and feasibility.
Start with a clear and well-defined desired outcome | Involve diverse team members in the brainstorming process | Regularly review and refine the tree to keep it manageable and relevant
Encourages comprehensive exploration of potential solutions | Helps prioritize solutions based on impact and feasibility | Aligns team efforts towards a common, clearly defined goal
Can be time-consuming to thoroughly explore all branches | May require substantial input and collaboration from multiple stakeholders | Risk of analysis paralysis if not managed properly
When starting a new project or initiative | When needing to solve complex problems with multiple potential solutions
For simple or well-defined problems with obvious solutions | When quick decisions are needed without extensive exploration