Here you can find free resources and materials if you are interested in decision support tools. You’ll find tools to think through your major decision, as well as tools to help with your daily choices, as you beat procrastination and achieve goals.
1. Free Resources and Tools to Support your Big Decisions
A) General Framework to Help you Think Through your Decisions
- Stages of decision analysis visualized (pdf): Ursina’s process model and example tools on how to guide people through a decision process
- Decision making guideline (pdf): workshop handout with exercises
- Reading list (pdf): recommended books and articles on decision support tools
- Printable two-sided infographic (pdf) on how to make smart decisions. The infographic provides a roadmap and ultra-brief guideline:
B) Specific Tools and Templates
You may, or may not, find the following documents self-explanatory. Please use them at your own risk, or ask me for explanations. I’ll be happy to chat with you to clarify anything that may be unclear! (All of the following tools are also explained in more detail our textbook.)
- Instructions on constructing a “Value Tree” (pdf), including coaching tips
- Checklist (pdf) for your sets of values and alternatives: getting them ready for the decision table
- Excerpt of a workshop handout with exercises (pdf), including paper-pencil template of a weighted table. The weighted table is explained in more detail than in the templates below that are free-standing.
- Paper/pencil templates for decision tables and trees (pdf): from basic to quantitative
- Paper/pencil template for a scenario tree (pdf): conceptual only, no probabilities or other quantitative parts
- Excel spreadsheet: template for house buying decisions (xlsx) that can be applied to other decisions. The spreadsheet includes several types of decision tables:
- A fact table for information gathering
- A colored plus-minus table to highlight pros and cons.
- A weighted table for evaluating options quantitatively. The table includes function that will calculate totals based on your ratings.
- Excel spreadsheet: completed decision tables for a career decision example (xlsx) that can also be modified and applied to other decisions. It also includes the same three types of decision tables: a fact table, a plus-minus table, and a weighted table.
2. Free Resources and Decision Support Tools For Strategic Planning
- Strategic planning guideline (pdf): this brief guide walks you through the classic steps of a strategic planning session. You can use it as a preparation for a team retreat or to inspire your own thinking.
- Mission, vision and values (pdf): three pages on how to create powerful statements for your organization’s mission, vision and values.
3. Free Resources to Support Your Time Management and Productivity
- Template of the Productivity Journal:
- As a printable file (pdf)
- As a word document (doc) you can download. If you fill it in on the computer, note that the line breaks are all in the first column. It will expand or shrink as you type or delete.
- As a spreadsheet (xls) you can download
- Reading list (pdf): recommended books and articles
- Printable two-sided infographic (pdf) on how to increase your productivity without burning out:
If you have questions about any of these tools, or if you think you could benefit from one-on-one support in using them, please get in touch! Here you can schedule either a brief phone call or a coaching session:
I look forward to talking to you!
by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR
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