Opportunity Solution Tree
Reading time: 7 minutes
Last updated
Reading time: 7 minutes
Last updated
In short: An Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) is a structured framework for managing discovery work, linking Opportunities and Solutions to strategic Key Results. The [OSTs] module allows teams to view, organize, and maintain multiple OSTs, each tied to specific goals. This setup provides a clear visual layout for tracking progress from high-level objectives to tested solutions.
Opportunity Solution Trees (OSTs) are a structured approach to discovery work in product management. The OST helps product teams identify, prioritize, and explore opportunities that align with their overarching goals. At its core, the OST is a visual representation of potential solutions linked to specific problems or “opportunities.” This structure enables teams to focus on the highest-impact ideas, ensuring their solutions are directly tied to well-defined objectives and measurable outcomes.
OSTs act as containers for Timebook’s discovery objects: Opportunities and Solutions. Additionally, each OST container is organized around a Key Result, bridging the strategy and discovery together. This approach enables teams to visually map and manage the progression from high-level objectives to tested solutions, ensuring that each discovery effort remains aligned with organizational strategy.
We recommend using the [Tree] to present the contents of an OST container.
This layout seems the most natural in this context, as it visually represents the branching relationships between discovery objects, starting from the Key Result as the root.
The [OSTs] module in Timebook provides an organized view of all OST containers within a allowing you to manage their presentation and quickly access the discovery objects they contain. In this module, team members can create, store, and organize OST containers that are linked to Goals via Key Results.
As a Team Admin or Owner, you must first enable [Discovery] in your Team’s settings to enjoy the OST-related features and their dedicated module.
For more information, see Discovery settings in Team
Each Timebook Team can have its dedicated [OSTs] module for managing multiple Opportunity Solution Trees. This module provides various ways to view and interact with OST containers, allowing team members to explore and organize their discovery objects in a structured format. With several data layouts to choose from, the module keeps all OSTs easily accessible and manageable.
As a Product Owner, you can use the [OSTs] module to connect strategic goals with actionable discovery work. By managing multiple OST containers, you can keep track of how Opportunities, Solutions, and Assumption align with Key Results.
As a Product Researcher, you can use the [OSTs] module to have a centralized space to explore, document, and refine ideas during the discovery phase. The different data layouts allow you to view relationships among discovery objects in a way that best fits your needs.
This module holds all the OST-related data for your Team, which you can customize using various layouts, filters, and grouping options. Additionally, you can save these customized views as public for all members to access or keep them private for your personal use.
We have dedicated articles that explain how to manage data views and layouts in several Timebook modules, including this one.
For more information, see Layouts & views
You can create Opportunity Solution Trees for your team to work on using the dedicated module described above.
To create an OST:
Click [Add an OST] in the top-right corner of the module.
Give your new OST a meaningful name.
Link a Key Result to your OST using the dedicated button below the name. You can browse Workplace and Team Goals to select one of their Key Results for linking to your OST.
Click [Save] to confirm. Your OST’s card opens in the [Tree] layout, showing the selected Key Result as the root element. You can now add your first Opportunity to the OST using the icon below the Key Result.
Creating an Opportunity Solution Tree with a Key Result is your starting point when managing your discovery process.
You can then add Opportunities and Solutions using the dedicated buttons below each element of your Opportunity Solution Tree. This way, you can explore, organize, and validate ideas systematically, moving from discovery to actionable insights.
For more information, see Opportunity and Solution
Each OST card in Timebook has two areas of focus:
The main area displays the contents of one of the tabs you can select at the top, next to the OST’s name. See below for more information on available tabs.
You can also expand the OST’s drawer using the dedicated button in the top-right corner. The drawer will occupy the right side of the screen, showing the OST’s basic properties, such as Status or Owner, and linked Goals. See below for more information on the drawer’s contents.
In the top-right corner of the card, you have two additional options to keep your OST accessible:
[Add to Bookmarks] saves the OST for future reference. You can find it by opening the [Bookmarks] module in the Navigator.
[Pin to Navigator] adds the OST to the [Pinned items] area of the Navigator. You can quickly jump to the pinned OST using the menu on the left, no matter where you are in Timebook.
We have a dedicated article on how to use pins and bookmarks to keep your important objects always within easy reach.
For more information, see Bookmarks & pins
Each OST has three tabs located at the top, next to the OST’s name:
The tabs presented above are not exclusive to OST cards.
Cards of other object types in Timebook, such as Initiatives or Projects, have nearly identical designs.
The main area primarily helps you manage discovery objects within an OST, while the drawer allows you to define properties and link the OST to a different Key Result. You can open the drawer using the button in the top-right corner of the OST card and collapse it again when you want to focus more on the work itself.
The OST drawer consists of the following sections:
The [Properties] section provides key details for defining and managing the OST effectively. It includes options to set the OST’s status, assign a date range, and designate its owner.
The [Linked Goals] section allows you to associate the OST with a specific Goal. The card of the linked Goal displays its title and a Key Result that helps track progress toward achieving the Goal.
When creating an OST, you must link it to a Goal through one of its Key Results. You can, however, change the linked Goal at any time.
To change the Goal linked to your OST:
Open the drawer of an OST.
In the [Linked Goals] section, click the [...] button on the card of the currently linked Goal, and select [Change].
You can now browse Workplace and Team Goals. Select a Goal and use the checkbox next to one of its Key Results to link it to your OST.
