Step 1
Decision Context
Frame the decision precisely. A vague decision question produces a vague brief. The Minto principle: the decision question should be answerable with a specific choice — not a direction or a topic.
One sentence. Should be answerable with a specific choice. Not "How should we approach X?" but "Should we do A, B, or C — and by when?"
What has changed, surfaced, or become urgent? The context that makes this decision necessary at this moment.
People whose input should be sought or who will be affected by the outcome.
Step 2
Options on the Table
A decision brief without genuine alternatives is a proposal in disguise. Roger Martin: the test of a real strategic choice is that the alternatives are genuinely live — if one option is obviously right, you don't have a decision, you have a ratification. Name at least two options, ideally three.
Step 3
Analysis & Constraints
What do you know that the decision-maker needs to know? What boundaries exist that shape which options are actually viable?
The two or three most important pieces of information the decision-maker should hold as they decide.
Budget, timeline, capacity, political, or structural constraints that eliminate or reduce the viability of certain options.
The assumptions that must hold for the recommended option to succeed.
Step 4
Your Recommendation
Minto Pyramid Principle: lead with the recommendation, not the rationale. State what you recommend clearly and directly. The brief delivers the reasoning — but the leader should know your position before they read it.
State it plainly. Do not hedge. A recommendation that could mean two different things is not a recommendation.
The single most important reason this is the right choice. Not a list — a sentence.
What does choosing this option preserve or prevent? Frame in terms of what matters to this leader.
Honest about what isn't yet resolved. This is not a reason to delay — it's what to watch.
Step 5
Risks & Next Steps
The highest-stakes thing that could go wrong. Name it directly — the brief is stronger for the honesty.
Three or fewer specific actions, each with a named owner and timeframe. The brief is not complete without clear next steps.
Complete the five steps and generate
the decision brief.
the decision brief.
Plain Text — Ready to Copy