Decision-Making Framework
Work through any tough business decision systematically — from hiring and pricing to partnerships and pivots. Evaluates options across multiple criteria, surfaces hidden risks, stress-tests your assumptions, and produces a clear recommendation with a pre-mortem.
Use this when you have been going back and forth on something for more than 48 hours. The structure breaks the analysis paralysis loop.
How to use this prompt
- Pick your AI model. Choose the tab for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot — each variant is tuned for that model.
- Copy the full prompt. Click Copy Full Prompt to copy the text to your clipboard.
- Paste into your AI tool. Open your chosen model and paste the prompt into a new chat.
- Replace the
[placeholders]. Swap any bracketed fields for your company name, audience, product or tone. - Run and refine. Review the output. If anything is off, ask the AI to tighten tone, length or format.
Prompt Variants by Model
You are a strategic advisor. Help me make a tough business decision.
<decision>
The decision: [WHAT I AM DECIDING — e.g., "Should I hire a full-time marketer or keep using freelancers?"]
Options:...You are a strategic advisor. Help me make a tough business decision.
<decision>
The decision: [WHAT I AM DECIDING — e.g., "Should I hire a full-time marketer or keep using freelancers?"]
Options: [LIST ALL OPTIONS I AM CONSIDERING]
Timeline: [when I need to decide by]
Stakes: [what happens if I get this wrong]
What I am leaning toward: [my gut instinct, if any]
Why I am stuck: [what makes this hard]
</decision>
<constraints>
Budget impact: [AMOUNT or range]
Time/effort investment: [for each option]
Reversibility: [can I undo this? how easily?]
People affected: [who else this impacts]
</constraints>
Work through this decision:
1. **Reframe the question** — am I asking the right question? Is there a better framing that opens up options I have not considered?
2. **Criteria matrix** — define 5-7 evaluation criteria relevant to this decision. Weight them by importance. Score each option.
3. **Second-order effects** — for each option, what happens 6 months later? 12 months? What does it enable or prevent?
4. **Risk analysis** — worst realistic case for each option. How bad is it, and can I recover?
5. **Assumption check** — what am I assuming that might not be true? Challenge the top 3 assumptions.
6. **Pre-mortem** — it is 6 months from now and this decision failed. What went wrong? (Do this for the leading option.)
7. **Recommendation** — given everything above, what should I do? State it clearly with reasoning.
8. **Decision trigger** — what new information would change this recommendation?
Be direct. I want clarity, not more options to consider.Act as a strategic advisor. Help me think through a tough decision. Be direct — I want clarity, not more things to consider.
Decision:...Act as a strategic advisor. Help me think through a tough decision. Be direct — I want clarity, not more things to consider.
Decision: [WHAT]
Options: [LIST]
Deadline: [WHEN]
Stakes: [WHAT IF WRONG]
Gut feeling: [WHAT I LEAN TOWARD]
Why stuck: [WHAT MAKES THIS HARD]
Constraints: budget [AMOUNT], time [EFFORT], reversibility [YES/NO], people affected [WHO]
Work through:
1. Reframe — am I asking the right question?
2. Criteria matrix — 5-7 criteria, weighted, scored
3. Second-order effects — 6 and 12 months out
4. Risk analysis — worst realistic case per option
5. Assumption check — challenge my top 3
6. Pre-mortem — how does the leading option fail?
7. Clear recommendation with reasoning
8. Decision trigger — what info would change this?Help me make a tough business decision.
**Decision:** [WHAT]
**Options:** [LIST]
**Deadline:**...Help me make a tough business decision.
**Decision:** [WHAT]
**Options:** [LIST]
**Deadline:** [WHEN]
**Stakes:** [WHAT IF WRONG]
**Leaning toward:** [GUT]
**Why stuck:** [WHAT IS HARD]
**Constraints:** budget [AMOUNT], time [EFFORT], reversible [YES/NO], affects [WHO]
Research any relevant market data or case studies, then:
1. Reframe the question
2. Criteria matrix (weighted, scored)
3. Second-order effects (6, 12 months)
4. Risk analysis per option
5. Challenge my top 3 assumptions
6. Pre-mortem on leading option
7. Clear recommendation
8. Decision triggerHelp me decide: [THE DECISION]
Options: [LIST]
Deadline:...Help me decide: [THE DECISION]
Options: [LIST]
Deadline: [WHEN]
Stakes: [IF WRONG]
Gut: [LEANING]
Stuck because: [WHY]
Budget: [AMOUNT], Reversible: [YES/NO], Affects: [WHO]
Work through:
1. Reframe the question
2. Weighted criteria matrix
3. Second-order effects
4. Risk analysis
5. Challenge assumptions
6. Pre-mortem
7. Recommendation
8. Decision triggerFrequently Asked Questions
What does the Decision-Making Framework prompt do?
Work through any tough business decision systematically — from hiring and pricing to partnerships and pivots. Evaluates options across multiple criteria, surfaces hidden risks, stress-tests your assumptions, and produces a clear recommendation with a pre-mortem.
Which AI models is this prompt tested on?
This prompt is field-tested on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. Each model has its own optimized variant above.
Do I need a paid AI account to use this prompt?
No. This prompt is written to run on the free tier of Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. Paid tiers simply give you longer context windows and faster responses.
Can I customize this prompt for my business?
Yes. Any text inside square brackets is a placeholder you replace with your own business details, such as company name, audience, product or tone. You can also ask the AI to adjust format, length or style after the first output.
When was this prompt last verified?
Each model variant above shows its own freshness stamp. AlignAI re-verifies every prompt at least monthly and rebuilds when a major model changes.
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