Frame my decision · 5 min ↗

01 · Frame

Frame the decision before expanding the analysis.

DECISION QUESTION

What must be decided, by whom, by when, and on what evidence?

A short diagnostic makes the decision, options, available evidence and review rules explicit.

Guided diagnostic · 5 questions

Get your readiness level straight away.

In less than five minutes, identify what blocks the decision and leave with a prioritised action mandate.

1 / 520 %
Which decision do you want to frame?

Your answers stay in your browser; no data is sent.

DECISION MANDATE

Name the decision, owner and deadline

Write one choice that a named person or committee must make by a stated date. Separate the decision from its objective, the analysis to be performed and the solution already preferred. Specify geography, customer, offer, investment envelope and time horizon only when they change the options. A valid mandate is narrow enough to refuse irrelevant data and broad enough to include credible alternatives.

  • Decision sentence
  • Named owner
  • Deadline
  • Scope

DECISION MANDATE

Build at least three genuinely different options

Include the status quo and the option to defer, stop or learn before committing whenever they are credible. Describe each option with the same perimeter, horizon and resource assumptions. An option is not a minor wording change: it must represent a different allocation, market, offer, sequence or risk exposure. Record opportunity cost and the commitment that becomes difficult to reverse.

  • Status quo
  • Active alternatives
  • Opportunity cost
  • Irreversible commitment

DECISION MANDATE

Separate facts, estimates, assumptions and unknowns

Attach every important claim to a dated source, method, unit and perimeter. Mark estimates as estimates and assumptions as propositions to test. Missing evidence remains a gap with an owner and next action; it is not silently converted into confidence. The diagnostic should identify the uncertainty most likely to change the ranking before requesting more analysis.

  • Dated source
  • Method and unit
  • Confidence
  • Evidence gap

DECISION MANDATE

Set criteria before scoring

Define what good means for this decision before comparing options. Criteria may cover customer value, access, economics, capabilities, risk, timing and reversibility, but each needs an observable definition. Weights express preference and must not compensate for failed constraints. Test the recommendation against plausible weights, ranges and scenarios, and retain disagreements rather than averaging them away.

  • Observable criteria
  • Explicit weights
  • Binding constraints
  • Sensitivity

DECISION MANDATE

Plan commitment, review and exit

State the first reversible action, the evidence it must produce and the maximum resources committed before review. Name the signal, threshold, responsible person and date that will confirm, adapt, pause or stop the choice. The exported mandate is therefore not a static report: it is a versioned agreement linking the current recommendation to its proof plan and reopening rule.

  • First step
  • Proof threshold
  • Review owner
  • Exit rule
Cookie details