Unlocking the Power of Opportunity Solution Trees: Avoiding Common Pitfalls
When it comes to product discovery, opportunity solution trees are a potent tool for planning and managing the complexities that come with it. However, these trees are often misused, leading to ineffective discovery processes and derailed products. In this article, we’ll explore what opportunity solution trees are, the common anti-patterns associated with them, and how to avoid these pitfalls.
What is an Opportunity Solution Tree?
An opportunity solution tree is a visualization tool designed to help product teams determine the best path to achieve a desired outcome. It starts with the product outcome – a change in user behavior that drives business outcomes, such as increased engagement or adoption. The tree then branches out to identify opportunities, which represent distinct user problems that can be solved to drive the outcome. Each opportunity can have children opportunities, which are more atomic problems that solve part of the parent problem. By mapping potential solutions to each problem and testing individual assumptions, product teams can de-risk investments and prioritize next steps.
Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid
While the building blocks of opportunity solution trees are straightforward, their true power lies in avoiding common mistakes. Here are seven anti-patterns to watch out for:
1. Mistaking Solutions for Opportunities
Mixing the problem and solution space is a common mistake. To avoid this, stress-test each opportunity by checking if there’s more than one unique way to solve a given problem. If not, it’s likely a solution in disguise.
2. Focusing on Features
The best opportunity solution trees are feature-agnostic, focusing on what users need to do rather than the features and functionalities available. Dig deeper to understand why users want to achieve a particular outcome, and you’ll uncover more impactful solutions.
3. Not Being Specific Enough
Avoid generic and vague opportunities by identifying more focused problems. For example, instead of “I’m getting too much spam,” explore specific issues like “I receive too many messages from strangers I didn’t meet” or “I receive ads from every store I ever purchased from.”
4. Forgetting That Opportunities Live in a Specific Moment in Time
Opportunities exist in distinct moments in time, and it’s essential to consider this when framing them. For instance, being overbooked when trying to add something to your calendar is a different problem than being overbooked when reviewing your calendar to prepare for the day.
5. Framing Opportunities from a Product Perspective
Product teams often think from a product perspective, which can lead to feature-focused and solution-in-disguise opportunities. Instead, investigate each opportunity from the user’s perspective and ask yourself if you can imagine a user saying that.
6. Building Too Robust Trees
While it’s tempting to explore all opportunities and map as many assumptions as possible, this can lead to analysis paralysis. Stick to the 80/20 rule: map the most promising opportunities, children opportunities, solutions, and assumptions to test.
7. Exploring Too Few Opportunities
Avoid tunnel vision by mapping and briefly exploring at least five unique opportunities before diving deeper. This ensures you don’t miss out on more impactful and relevant issues to solve.
The Key to Effective Opportunity Solution Trees
In conclusion, opportunity framing is the most challenging part of working with opportunity solution trees. By putting 80-90% of your effort into genuinely understanding, stress-testing, and properly framing opportunities, you’ll be well on your way to effective product discovery. Remember to keep opportunities specific, focused on the user’s perspective, and solvable in multiple ways. With well-defined opportunities, you’ll be able to unlock the full potential of opportunity solution trees and drive meaningful action in your product development.