Opportunity-Solution Tree (OST)
Connect your Opportunities to the actual work and display it in the tree view.
Opportunity-Solution Trees in Timebook
The Opportunity-Solution Tree (OST) in Timebook is a powerful visual tool designed to explore key Opportunities and link them directly to Projects. It helps you identify potential improvements, connect them with actionable steps, and test your assumptions. By utilizing the Opportunity-Solution Tree, your organization can make more informed decisions and find valuable business opportunities.
Once OSTs are enabled, you can populate them with Opportunities and link Projects to create a tree-like structure that connects your strategy and ideation to the actual work, including testing and verification.
Each OST features an expandable drawer that allows you to modify its properties, set a time frame for it, and assign the person responsible. Explore the rest of this article to learn more about the options available within the OST drawer.
This article explains the Timebook's concept of an Opportunity-Solution Tree and its basic features.
But we have a separate article that explains how to use OSTs in a Timebook Team. For more information, see OSTs (in Teams)
To use OSTs in Timebook, you need to enable the Opportunity feature in the settings of the specific Team.
For more information on managing Opportunities in Teams, see Opportunities (Team settings)
Manage an OST
Each Opportunity-Solution Tree has three tabs located at the top, next to its name:
The [Work] tab is where you manage all the Opportunities and Projects added to the OST. You can open each of them to see their details. If you use the [Tree] layout - which gives you the best OST experience - you can also drag and drop Opportunities and Projects to change their position in your OST's hierarchy.
You can use the [Summary] tab to add content like text, images, and references, providing extra information about your OST.
The [Updates] tab automatically shows important changes to your OST. Additionally, each Team member can post updates here to provide information about any OST-related developments.
In the top-right corner, you have two additional options to keep your OST accessible:
[Add to Bookmarks] saves the OST for future reference. You can find all bookmarked OSTs 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, regardless of where you are in Timebook.
Even though we recommend using the [Tree] layout when managing OSTs, you can change how different elements are presented by adjusting the layout, grouping, sorting, and filtering the data.
You can also save such modified views for later use.
We have dedicated articles that explain changing and saving views. For more information, see Layouts & views
Add Opportunities and Projects to an OST
This section explains adding items to your OST using the [Tree] layout. This is the default layout for OSTs, and we think it's the most effective one, as you can easily visualize the hierarchy of the OST and its linked Opportunities and Projects.
To add an Opportunity or a Project to an OST:
Open one of your OSTs.
Hover over the card representing your OST and press the [Add Opportunity] button below it.
Use the search bar to find and link an existing Opportunity, or use the [Create an Opportunity] button.
The first Opportunity is now linked to your OST and presented as a child item. You can continue adding Opportunities to your OST using the same method.
You can also add Projects to Opportunities. Hover over the card representing an Opportunity and press the [Add Project] button below it.
You can reorder all elements of your OST with a simple drag-and-drop.
However, the OST card should always stay at the top of the structure, and Projects should only be linked to Opportunities.
OST drawer options
Each OST in Timebook has an expandable drawer you can use to modify the OST's properties. Open the drawer using the dedicated button in the top-right corner to change the name of your OST or add a description to clarify the OST's purpose.
You can also use the following properties in the drawer to define your OST:
Change the [Status] of your OST by choosing one of the available options, including [Planned], [In development], or [Canceled].
Define the start and end dates for your OST with the [Time frame] property. You can set specific dates or choose a period: week, month, quarter, or year.
You can also assign the [Owner] responsible for this OST.
You can also connect your OST to one of the existing Workplace or Team Goals. The [Linked Goals] section in the OST drawer serves this purpose:
Press the [+] button at the top of the [Linked Goals] section.
Open [Team Goals] and choose a Team from the dropdown menu to link specific, lower-level Goals. Or open [Workplace Goals] to link organization-wide Goals.
Find relevant Goals on the list and select their key results to which you want to link your OST.
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