itseffi Opportunity Solution Tree (OST)
Transform interview data into a structured Opportunity Solution Tree following Teresa Torres's method.
When to Use
When synthesizing user research into a structured view of opportunities.
Key Concepts
Opportunity: A customer need, pain, or desire - phrased from user perspective, not a solution.
Moment in time: A distinct point in the customer journey.
Tests:
- Distinctness (siblings): Can we pursue one without addressing the other? If yes, they're distinct.
- Parent-child: Does solving the child partially solve the parent? If not, reframe.
The Process
1. Extract Opportunities
From interviews, capture:
- Verbatim quotes
- Reframed user-need statement
- Which journey moment it belongs to
2. Organize by Journey Moments
Group opportunities under their primary moment in time.
3. Structure Within Each Moment
- Cluster similar opportunities
- Create parent nodes where needed
- Run distinctness checks across siblings
- Run parent-child checks down branches
- Remove generic parents with single children
- Combine near-duplicates
4. Track Evidence
For each opportunity, capture:
- Representative quotes
- Frequency count
- Confidence level (low/med/high)
5. Prioritize Leaves
Score leaf opportunities:
- Impact (1-5)
- Frequency (1-5)
- Alignment to outcome (1-5)
- Priority = Impact x Frequency x Alignment
Output Format
Opportunity Inventory Table: | ID | Moment | Opportunity | Parent ID | Quotes | Frequency | Confidence |
Tree View (per moment):
## [Moment Name]
- [Parent opportunity]
- [Child opportunity]
- [Grandchild]
Prioritized Leaf Backlog: Ranked list with scores and rationale.
Rules
- All opportunities from user perspective
- No solutions in the tree
- Keep distinct across siblings
- Prefer specific over generic
- Preserve verbatim quotes for evidence
When Not to Use
Do not use this skill when the request is unrelated, low-stakes, or better handled by a simpler direct response.