Decision tree diagramming template

When you're faced with a critical decision, use this decision/cogic tree template to visualize potential outcomes from various choices and identify the best path forward.

By outlining the possible outcomes and repercussions from a decision, as well as the next-level decisions and associated effects, teams can better understand the implications of a decision. This helps weigh risk versus reward before making an investment of resources.

The decision tree template helps you:

• Improve decision-making: A decision tree exercise can help identify the most important factors or variables that impact a particular decision, making it easier to weigh the pros and cons and arrive at the best possible decision.

• Increase understanding: By visually mapping out different scenarios and their potential outcomes, decision tree exercises can help individuals and teams better understand the potential consequences of different decisions.

• Increase clarity and transparency: Decision trees provide a clear and transparent framework for decision-making, making it easier for others to understand how a decision was made and why.

• Manage risks better: By considering various potential outcomes and their likelihoods, decision tree exercises can help teams identify and mitigate potential risks.

• Save time: A decision tree exercise can help streamline decision-making by providing a clear and structured process for evaluating options and arriving at a decision.

• Collaborate cross-functionally: Decision tree exercises can be used to facilitate collaboration among team members, encouraging discussion and input from all stakeholders.

How to use the Decision Tree template

To get the most out of the decision tree template, follow these steps below:

Step 1: Outline the main decision to be made

Clearly define the central decision from which all outcomes and subsequent decisions will radiate. It’s vital to frame this correctly and give appropriate context for this decision for all stakeholders, who may have different backgrounds or viewpoints based on their roles.

Step 2: Add the possible choices

Once you’ve framed the central decision, add the possible choices available to your team, and illustrate the relationships between those choices and the central decision with connectors, arrows, or hand-drawn lines.

Step 3: Brainstorm possible outcomes

Now it’s time to brainstorm with your team — what are all the possible outcomes and downstream decisions that are related to each of the choices? Add sticky notes and connectors to collect your ideas and visualize the relationships between them, and assign probabilities and values to the outcomes to give a realistic idea of success.

Tips for running a Decision Tree template exercise

While brainstorming the outcomes and mapping relationships between your ideas is a great start, you can get even more out of your decision tree analysis by:

• Using private mode to avoid groupthink while brainstorming, and timer to keep your session moving

• Color-coding or tagging sticky notes based on whether they are favorable, modest, or negative outcomes

• Using anonymous voting to help determine the best approaches and next steps based on your analysis