Solution
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In short: Solutions are object designed to address specific Opportunities identified during the discovery phase. They serve as containers for Work Items, including Assumptions, which collectively represent the work required to test and implement the Solution. By using Solutions, your team can bridge the gap between ideas and delivery, ensuring every Opportunity is met with actionable, evidence-based strategies.
What are Solutions?
A Solution in Timebook is a specific, actionable idea or initiative designed to address an identified Opportunity. It represents the “how” in the process of transforming user needs or business challenges into meaningful outcomes.
In the discovery phase of product development, Solutions represents different ways to tackle the Opportunities you’ve identified. The connection between these two object types forms the foundation of the Opportunity Solution Tree approach.
Each Solution serves as a container for Work Items that represent the deliverables required to test the Solution. In Timebook, you can populate your Solution with various Work Item types, including regular Tasks and Bugs, or larger units like Stories and Epics. Notably, Assumptions are a particularly natural fit, as they align closely with the Opportunity Solution Tree approach. Acting as "experiments," Assumptions help validate the effectiveness of your Solutions, ensuring they are grounded in evidence.
Managing Solutions in a dedicated module
Timebook has a dedicated module for managing Solutions, offering multiple perspectives through different data layouts. The [Solutions] module is designed to help you identify and manage tasks that address and test specific Opportunities.
As a Product Manager, you can use the [Solutions] module to define actionable strategies that address identified Opportunities, track the progress of Solutions being developed, and align team efforts with overall product goals.
As a Designer, you can use Solutions to store your design ideas and collaborate with your team to refine the technical details of implementation.
The [Solutions] module holds all the relevant discovery data, 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.
Creating a Solution and adding Work Items to it
You can create Solutions in several ways:
At the Team level: Use the [Solutions] module within a specific Team.
From the Discovery section: Access the dedicated entry point in the [Discovery] section of the Navigator.
Contextually within Timebook: Create Solutions directly from other areas, such as within an Opportunity.
No matter where you begin, the creation process remains nearly identical to the steps outlined below:
Click the [+] button at the top of the list of Solutions. The button placement may vary depending on your chosen data layout.
Give your new Solution a meaningful name. At this stage, you can also:
Add a short description.
Define basic properties, such as Assignee, Priority, or Status.
Click [Create...] to save your changes. The new Solution is added to the list.
The new Solutions’s card opens and you can edit its details, fill it with Work Items, or access other available options.
Solution cards
Each Solution 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 Solution’s name. See below for more information on available tabs.
You can also expand the Solution’s drawer using the dedicated button in the top-right corner. The drawer will occupy the right side of the screen, showing the Solution’s statistics, basic properties, and linked Opportunities. See below for more information on the drawer’s contents.
In the top-left corner of the card, breadcrumbs help you navigate related content. Depending on your access point, they adjust to guide you back to the most relevant location within your Team or Workplace. This ensures quick access to Solution-related information based on your context.
In the top-right corner of the card, you’ll find additional options to quickly access, track, and share your Solution:
[Add to Bookmarks] saves the Solution for future reference. You can find it by opening the [Bookmarks] module in the Navigator.
[Pin to Navigator] adds the Solution to the [Pinned items] area of the Navigator. You can quickly jump to the pinned Solution using the menu on the left, no matter where you are in Timebook.
[Copy link] generates a direct link to the Solution, making it easy to share with teammates or reference later.
[Watch] enables notifications for this Solution, so you’ll be alerted about important updates or changes. You can manage watched items in the [Watched] tab of My Work.
Solution cards: Tabs
Each Solution has three tabs located at the top, next to its name:
The [Work] tab in Solutions
This tab is where you manage all Work Items within a Solution. You can open any Work Item to view or edit its details. To create a Work Item inside a Solution, click the [+] button at the top of the list.
Other features of this tab:
You can manage many items at once using the [Edit multiple items] button. After clicking it, an overlay will appear, allowing you to select multiple or all items and apply specific actions to them. This feature lets you quickly move items in bulk to a different Solution, change their status, or delete them permanently.
You can also use the [Manage view] button to apply different layouts or filters and view your work from various perspectives. 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
Solution cards: Drawer
The main area primarily helps you manage Work Items within a Solution, while the drawer allows you to define properties, analyze the metrics of your Solution, and link it to Opportunities. You can open the drawer using the button in the top-right corner of the Solution card and collapse it again when you want to focus more on the work itself.
The Solution drawer consists of the following sections:
Properties
This section provides key details for defining and managing the Solution effectively. It includes options to set the Solution’s status, assess risks, assign a date range, and designate a lead. You can also assign specific Teams to the Solution using the dedicated selector.
Linked Opportunities
This section shows the Opportunities your Solution supports. The links here allow you to visualize how different stages of the discovery phase in product development are connected. See below for more information on linking Solutions to Opportunities.
Metrics
This section provides an overview of the current status of all Work Items within the Solution. It includes the following data:
Work Items in scope: Displays the total number of Work Items in the Solution.
Started: Shows how many Work Items have been started (moved past the “To-do” status).
Done: Indicates how many Work Items have been completed.
Below these metrics, there’s a chart visualizing the progress over time, helping track changes in the status of Work Items. The chart provides a visual reference to understand the Solution’s overall status and work completion pace, making it easier to assess progress at a glance.
The chart updates dynamically, showing real-time changes as Work Items are added or completed.
The drawer lets you link Solutions to Opportunities, providing valuable insight into how your product addresses key challenges or user needs. In the [Linked Opportunities] section of a Solution card, you can manage these links to visually represent connections across the stages of the discovery phase.
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