At Value Rebels, the Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) framework is a favourite of ours. However, like all tools, it comes with its own set of challenges. Before diving into some of the pitfalls we have encountered, let’s start with a quick introduction for those who may not be familiar with the OST framework. If you are familiar with OSTs, jump directly to the "lessons learned" section for insights. If you are new, a quick introduction is just ahead!
Introduction
Created by Teresa Torres, the OST is a structured framework designed to tackle complex and poorly defined problems (for a detailed description of the OST framework please look here). By using this framework teams are able to clearly understand problems, identify opportunities to solve them, and outline various solutions to capitalise on these opportunities. This approach ensures that the focus remains on opportunities that address desired outcomes, thereby making the business valuable and satisfying customer needs. By concentrating efforts on tasks that align with strategic goals, products maintain long term relevance rather than merely catering to immediate demands.
Now, you might be thinking, “We already have a backlog of features and initiatives. How does the OST fit in?” The answer lies in its tree structure, which helps illustrate the complexities and relationships between various backlog items. Most teams have a backlog of features and initiatives that they have decided are a priority to get implemented. This list is often extensive and should include initiatives that address customer needs, pain points, and desires. However, prioritising these opportunities can be challenging due to their varied nature, interconnections and size. This is where the OST uses a tree structure to illustrate and understand these complexities, showing relationships between the various backlog features.
This is done by identifying parent opportunities and their subsets (or children) as well as sibling opportunities. By deconstructing large, intricate problems into smaller, more manageable sub opportunities, the OST allows for a systematic approach to problem solving, ensuring that solutions are both comprehensive and incremental. This method not only facilitates the delivery of value over time but also aids in prioritising the most impactful opportunities effectively. Furthermore, the OST framework provides clarity on what not to work on, helping teams avoid wasting resources on low impact or misaligned initiatives.
Additionally, the OST can serve as a "backlog before the backlog”. It filters and organises opportunities before they make it to your official backlog, ensuring that only the most viable and strategically aligned initiatives are prioritised. This enhances efficiency and keeps your team focused on what truly matters. At Value Rebels, we like to visualise our OSTs in Miro, where an easy to use template is available. Over time, we enhance the OST by adding comments that incorporate insights from user interviews, links to data analysis, and connections to Jira initiatives.
Lessons We Learned from Using Teresa's Methods
Failure to Update and Enrich the OST
One of the biggest mistakes we made early on was treating the OST as a “set it and forget it” tool. We created it during a workshop and then moved on to other tasks. Big mistake.
Imagine you are on a journey with a map that never gets updated, sooner or later, you will end up lost. The same goes for the OST. It is not a static document, it requires regular updates with fresh insights from user interviews, data analysis, and market changes. By continuously updating the OST, you ensure it stays relevant and aligned with your business goals. This keeps your strategies sharp and your decisions informed.
Comprehensive Understanding of Context
Another lesson learned: Do not just rearrange your existing backlog into a tree and call it an OST. Without solid customer research, this can lead to misguided decisions. However with that being said, while customer research is essential, it should not be seen as a prerequisite for starting an OST. In fact, the OST can be a powerful tool to help guide and structure your research and discovery efforts. By starting with the OST, you can better organise your research activities, ensuring that you gather the most relevant insights as you go along.
Think of the OST as a reflection of your understanding of the customer and the market. If that reflection is blurry, your decisions will be too. To create a robust OST, make sure your opportunities and sub opportunities are grounded in thorough research and connected to the broader strategic context. This ensures that your solutions are not only relevant but also aligned with your business goals.
Financial Considerations
Have you ever pursued an idea only to discover later that it’s not financially viable? This can be a costly mistake.
One of the key lessons is the importance of integrating financial analysis into the OST process, but with careful timing. While it’s important to consider financial implications, it’s important to avoid introducing cost estimates too early in the process. Costs are primarily based on effort, which cannot be accurately estimated until specific solutions are identified. Moving into effort estimation too soon can prematurely push you into the solution space, potentially limiting creative exploration.
Therefore, at the opportunity level, financial considerations should assess whether an opportunity aligns with your overall strategy and has the potential to deliver significant value. Instead of estimating specific costs early on, the focus should be on evaluating the strategic fit and potential returns. More detailed cost and effort estimations should be deferred until the team starts selecting specific solutions to test. This approach ensures that you prioritise initiatives that are both strategically aligned and likely to be financially sound, without stifling creativity or exploration too early in the process.
Lack of Depth in Opportunities
In the beginning, a lot of our OSTs resembled more of a list than a tree, a broad structure with little depth. This approach proved to be ineffective.
A shallow tree is essentially just a list, which fails to capture the strategic value of the OST. It is comparable to skimming the surface of a problem without delving into the details. To make the OST truly effective, it is important to dig deep and understand how opportunities are interconnected. This means deconstructing each opportunity into detailed, actionable sub opportunities. By doing so, decision making becomes easier, as the deep structure provides fewer, more focused alternatives at each level, rather than overwhelming options at every turn.
There are common patterns one can use for breaking down larger opportunities, which can significantly enhance the clarity and effectiveness of the OST. These patterns serve as a framework to dissect complex problems into manageable, actionable parts.
For instance, consider the challenge of improving user engagement with a digital product. This larger opportunity can be broken down by examining the various barriers to engagement. A useful pattern might involve categorising opportunities based on whether users are:
Unaware of a functionality: Users might not know that a certain feature exists. For example, a mobile app might have a powerful search function that users rarely use simply because they are not aware of it.
Do not understand the functionality: Even if users are aware of a feature, they might not fully understand how it works or how it benefits them. For example, users might know that the app offers advanced search filters, but might not understand how to apply these filters effectively.
Simply do not like the functionality: Sometimes, users are aware of a feature and understand it, but they do not find it appealing or useful. Perhaps the search function is too slow, or the filters do not match their typical use cases, leading to frustration and disengagement.
By categorising opportunities in this way, one can more precisely identify where to focus efforts whether it’s on increasing awareness, improving education, or enhancing the feature itself to make it more user friendly.
Alternatively, opportunities could be categorised based on the context in which users interact with the product, such as:
At home: Users might engage with the product in a more relaxed environment, possibly exploring features that require more time and focus.
At work: Here, users might prioritise efficiency and functionality that supports their productivity, such as quick access to essential tools or seamless integration with other work related software.
On the go: In this context, users likely need features that are easily accessible and quick to use, prioritising convenience and simplicity, such as one click actions or offline accessibility.
There are many creative ways to break down big opportunities into bite sized, actionable pieces, this is just two examples.
Balancing Short Term and Long Term Goals
When we first started using the OST framework, we found ourselves gravitating towards quick wins. Those immediate solutions that give a sense of progress. It felt good to tick off items and see instant results. However, we soon realised that this approach can be a double edged sword.
Have you ever been so focused on the short term that you missed out on bigger, more sustainable opportunities? That’s what can happen if you prioritise only quick wins. While they are great for momentum, it is important to balance them with long term strategies that address root causes and broader challenges. This way, you are not just putting out fires but also building a foundation for lasting success.
To counteract the tendency to overemphasise short term gains, OSTs can be utilised to maintain a clear focus on strategic objectives. By consistently aligning activities with long term goals, the OST framework ensures that efforts are directed towards creating lasting value. This approach allows for a more holistic view of success, where immediate achievements are complemented by progress towards sustainable growth.
Conclusion
The OST framework offers a valuable method for tackling complex business challenges by systematically identifying and addressing opportunities. It aids in prioritising initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, and maintaining a focus on long term relevance. However, it is important to avoid common pitfalls to ensure the effectiveness of the OST.
Key pitfalls include an overemphasis on short term gains at the expense of long term strategy, neglecting to regularly update and refine the OST, and a superficial understanding of opportunities without sufficient customer research. Additionally, financial considerations must be integrated to avoid pursuing non viable initiatives, and a lack of depth in the analysis of opportunities can lead to incomplete solutions.
By recognising and addressing these potential issues, teams can use the OST framework to focus on initiatives that deliver the most value and align with both customer needs and organisational goals. This approach does not only enhances decision making, but also optimises resource allocation, supporting sustained business success.
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