Opportunity Solution Tree Template
A simple, structured starting point for your first — or your fifteenth — Opportunity Solution Tree.
What the template covers
An Opportunity Solution Tree has four layers. A good template makes those layers explicit so you can fill them in without second-guessing the structure. Below is the standard template, followed by a worked example and guidance on how to fill each layer correctly.
The template
[The measurable business or product goal you want to achieve]
One sentence. Should describe a change in a metric or behaviour, not a feature. Owned by a single team. Time-bound.
Example: Increase 30-day retention from 35% to 45% by end of Q3.
[Customer need, pain point, or desire discovered through research]
Describe the customer's problem, not your solution. Each opportunity should connect to the outcome above it. You can have many opportunities — and opportunities can nest under other opportunities.
Example: New users don't understand what to do after signing up.
[Hypothesis for how you might address the opportunity]
Generate at least 3 solutions per opportunity before committing to one. Solutions are hypotheses, not commitments. Each solution must serve the specific opportunity it's attached to.
Example: An interactive checklist shown on first login.
[The smallest test you can run to validate or invalidate one assumption]
Each test targets a single assumption underlying the solution above it. Define: (1) the assumption being tested, (2) the method, (3) the sample, and (4) what result would confirm or disconfirm it.
Example: Show a static mockup of the checklist to 5 users. If 4 of 5 say they would have used it in their first week, proceed.
Worked example
Here's the same template filled in for a hypothetical B2B SaaS product team:
| Layer | Content |
|---|---|
| Outcome | Increase 30-day retention from 35% to 45% by end of Q3. |
| Opportunity | New users don't understand what value they'll get from the product in the first session. |
| ↳ Sub-opportunity | Users don't complete setup because they don't know what "done" looks like. |
| Solution | An interactive onboarding checklist with a visible progress bar. |
| Assumption Test | Assumption: users will engage with a checklist if it's visible on first login. Test: show static mockup to 5 new users in a usability session. Success: 4/5 say they would have completed at least 3 items. |
How to use this template
- 1
Start with one outcome. One tree, one outcome. If your team has multiple objectives, build separate trees for each. Pick the outcome your team has the most control over and the clearest data for.
- 2
Don't fill in solutions yet. Most teams jump straight to solutions. Resist. Spend the first session filling in only opportunities — problems or needs you've heard directly from customers. Opportunities should come from research, not from your head.
- 3
Go wide on opportunities first. Map as many opportunities as you can find. Cluster them. Look for sub-opportunities (specific aspects of a broader problem). A wide opportunity space gives you better choices later.
- 4
Select one target opportunity. Which opportunity, if solved, would most move your outcome? Start with that one. Don't try to address everything at once.
- 5
Generate at least 3 solutions. For your target opportunity, brainstorm at least 3 distinct solutions before evaluating any of them. Diversity of solutions leads to better choices.
- 6
Design assumption tests, not full experiments. An assumption test is not an A/B test or a full feature build. It's the cheapest way to learn whether your riskiest assumption is true. Define the assumption, the method, and the bar for success before you run anything.
- 7
Keep the tree alive. Update the tree after every round of customer interviews. Add new opportunities. Park ones that turn out to be lower priority. Your tree should change as you learn — if it hasn't changed in four weeks, you probably haven't been doing discovery.
Template formats
Teams use OST templates in different tools. Here's the honest breakdown:
Good for workshop settings. Gets messy fast as the tree grows. No structure enforcement — it's just sticky notes, so it's easy to accidentally put solutions at the opportunity level.
Cheap and portable. Loses the visual hierarchy that makes OSTs useful. Hard to see the tree structure at a glance.
Useful for writing up your opportunities and solutions in detail. Not great for the visual tree structure.
Purpose-built tools (like Ostly) enforce the four-layer structure, auto-layout the tree, and let you share a read-only link with stakeholders. Worth using once your tree is a regular part of your workflow.
Common mistakes when filling in the template
Writing solutions in the opportunity layer. "Add a dashboard" is a solution. "Users can't see their progress" is an opportunity. Opportunities describe customer problems; solutions describe your responses.
Having only one solution per opportunity. If you only have one solution, you haven't explored the space. Generate at least three before you start evaluating.
Filling it in without talking to customers. Opportunities that come from customer conversations are fundamentally different from opportunities you made up in a room. The template is only as good as the research behind it.
Treating the tree as a one-time deliverable. An OST is a working document. If yours is frozen from the last planning cycle, it's probably out of date.
Further reading
The Opportunity Solution Tree was created by Teresa Torres. The definitive reference is her book Continuous Discovery Habits. Her blog at producttalk.org also has extensive free writing on how to use OSTs in practice.
If you're new to the concept, start with What is an Opportunity Solution Tree? before filling in the template.
Build your OST in a tool made for it
Ostly enforces the four-layer structure, auto-layouts your tree, and lets you share a read-only link with your team. 14-day free trial, no credit card.
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