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Decision Tools

43 structured methods for making better decisions, organised by the phase of the decision process where each tool is most useful.

Framing the Decision6 tools
#001

Hard Choice Model

Determine what kind of decision you're facing (no-brainer, apples vs. oranges, big, or hard)

Full guide available
#002

Cynefin Framework

Determine what domain you're operating in — simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic — and match your response

Full guide available
#003

Reversible vs. Irreversible Decisions

Determine whether this is a one-way or two-way door, and calibrate how much analysis it deserves

Full guide available
#004

Reframing

Restate the problem from a different angle to ensure you're solving the right thing

Full guide available
#005

Abstraction Laddering

Move up (why?) or down (how?) levels to find the right altitude for your problem

Full guide available
#006

SWOT Analysis

Map internal strengths/weaknesses against external opportunities/threats to understand your strategic position

Full guide available
Finding Root Causes6 tools
#007

5 Whys

Drill vertically into a single causal chain by asking why repeatedly until you hit the root

Full guide available
#008

Ishikawa Diagram

Map all potential causes of a problem across categories to see the full landscape

Full guide available
#009

Iceberg Model

Look beneath surface events to find the patterns, structures, and mental models driving them

Full guide available
#010

Pareto Analysis

Identify the 20% of causes responsible for 80% of the impact — know where to focus first

Full guide available
#011

Issue Trees

Break a complex problem into smaller, mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive sub-problems

Full guide available
#012

First Principles Thinking

Strip away assumptions and inherited wisdom to rebuild understanding from fundamental truths

Full guide available
Generating Solutions4 tools
#013

Inversion

Ask what would guarantee failure and design your solution to avoid those conditions

Full guide available
#014

SCAMPER

Systematically generate variations by Substituting, Combining, Adapting, Modifying, Putting to other use, Eliminating, Reversing

Full guide available
#015

Zwicky Box

Generate novel solutions by combining dimensions of a problem in unusual ways

Full guide available
#016

Productive Thinking Model

Move through a structured six-step creative process from problem to solution to action

Full guide available
Evaluating Options5 tools
#017

Decision Matrix

Score options across weighted factors to identify a clear winner

Full guide available
#018

Six Thinking Hats

Examine a decision from six cognitive perspectives — facts, emotions, risks, benefits, creativity, process

Full guide available
#019

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Quantify the economic trade-offs of each option to determine net value

Full guide available
#020

Decision Tree

Map sequential outcomes with probabilities and expected values to find the highest-value path

Full guide available
#021

Scenario Planning

Construct multiple plausible futures and test how each option performs across them

Full guide available
Stress-Testing4 tools
#022

Pre-Mortem

Imagine the decision has already failed — work backward to find out why

Full guide available
#023

Second-Order Thinking

Map the consequences of consequences — what happens after the first effect?

Full guide available
#024

Ladder of Inference

Trace your reasoning from raw data to conclusion to find where assumptions crept in

Full guide available
#025

Conflict Resolution Diagram

Surface hidden assumptions behind seemingly irreconcilable positions to find win-win solutions

Full guide available
Prioritising and Sequencing3 tools
#026

Eisenhower Matrix

Sort tasks by urgency and importance into four quadrants — do, schedule, delegate, eliminate

Full guide available
#027

Impact-Effort Matrix

Sort tasks by return on effort — high impact / low effort wins first

Full guide available
#028

Confidence Determines Speed vs Quality

Determine whether to optimise for speed or quality based on your confidence in the direction

Full guide available
Deciding Under Uncertainty2 tools
#029

OODA Loop

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act — cycle rapidly through incomplete information to outpace your environment

Full guide available
#030

Regret Minimisation Framework

Project yourself to age 80 and ask which choice you'd regret least — built for irreversible life decisions

Full guide available
Understanding Systems7 tools
#031

Connection Circles

Map the elements of a system and the relationships between them — the simplest systems mapping tool

Full guide available
#032

Causal Loop Diagrams

Formally map cause-and-effect relationships with polarity to show how variables influence each other

Full guide available
#033

Reinforcing Feedback Loop

Understand the mechanism behind exponential growth and vicious/virtuous cycles

Full guide available
#034

Balancing Feedback Loop

Understand the mechanism that pushes back against change to create stability or resistance

Full guide available
#035

Stock and Flow Diagrams

Model how things accumulate (stocks) and change over time (flows) — the bathtub mental model

Full guide available
#036

Concept Map

Visualise relationships between entities in a concept or domain to build shared understanding

Full guide available
#037

System Archetypes

Recognise recurring structural patterns — Fixes that Fail, Shifting the Burden, Limits to Growth, Tragedy of the Commons

Full guide available
Group Decision-Making2 tools
#038

RACI Matrix

Clarify who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each decision or task

Full guide available
#039

Delphi Method

Aggregate expert judgment through anonymous, iterative rounds — eliminating groupthink and dominance

Full guide available
Communication5 tools
#040

Minto Pyramid

Structure written communication top-down — lead with the answer, then support with grouped arguments

Full guide available
#041

Situation-Behaviour-Impact

Give clear feedback without judgment — describe the situation, the specific behaviour, and its impact

Full guide available
#042

STAR Method

Structure persuasive narratives about actions and outcomes — Situation, Task, Action, Result

Full guide available
#043

Nonviolent Communication

Navigate conflict by expressing observations, feelings, needs, and requests without triggering defensiveness

Full guide available
#044

Active Listening

Structure the receiving side of communication — reflect, paraphrase, clarify, validate

Full guide available