Opportunity Solution Tree

Most backlogs are built backwards. An idea comes from a sales rep, a manager, or a customer—and the team then figures out how to justify it. This reflex, as natural as it may seem, is one of the most costly sources of product debt: we develop solutions before we’ve even understood the problems they’re supposed to solve, and we measure success by the features delivered rather than by the value created.

Breaking free from this way of thinking doesn't require a complete overhaul. It requires a tool that forces you to start over in the right order—from the objective to user opportunities, and from opportunities to possible solutions.

The Opportunity Solution Tree, popularized by Teresa Torresin *Continuous Discovery Habits*, is that tool. It structures product thinking into a visual framework that explicitly links each solution to the user opportunity it addresses, and each opportunity to the strategic objective that justifies it. The result: a clear vision of what deserves to be developed, why, and in what order—without ever losing sight of the connection between strategy and execution.

The template guides you through every step of the workshop: defining the objective, mapping opportunities, brainstorming solutions, organizing the tree, and prioritizing. A fully completed and visualized Spotify example makes the method immediately applicable, even for first-time users.