How to write an opportunity

The way you frame your Opportunities impacts how effective they are. Here are some tips for ensuring that your Opportunities present challenges in a way that invites creative solutions. 

1. Pose it as a “How might we?” question: use this design thinking method to reframe a problem or challenge into an Opportunity.

   - HMW help [target group] to [goal] when [context]

   - HMW [how to improve] the [service/product/pain point] for [target group]

2. Focus on root problems: make sure Opportunities focus on root customer problems, rather than desired outcomes or symptoms of those problems, by asking ‘why’ something happens. 

3. Avoid suggesting Solutions in your Opportunities: phrase Opportunities in a way that doesn’t imply any particular Solution, so that you don’t limit the creativity of your Solutions.

4. Find the balance between broad and specific: make your Opportunities broad enough to inspire multiple solutions, but specific enough to not lose sight of the root problem you’re trying to solve. If an Opportunity feels too broad, try to split it up into several smaller Opportunities.

5. Phrase your Opportunities positively: use positive language to shift the focus of your Opportunities to growth and improvement instead of fixating on problems. This will spark brainstorming and open up a wider range of potential Solutions.

6. Ensure that Opportunities are ‘MECE’: Mutually Exclusive, yet Collectively Exhaustive

   - Mutually Exclusive means that every Opportunity is distinctly separate and does not overlap with other Opportunities

   - Collectively Exhaustive means that together they cover all important root problems.