Write Decision Proposals with AI
Intermediate · Save 2-3 hours per proposal
Overview
Turn a recommendation into a clear decision document that drives action—options weighed, tradeoffs explicit, and a recommendation stakeholders can actually say yes to. This workflow is forward-looking: it helps make a decision, not just record one.
Best For
- Operations leaders
- Managers
- Consultants
- Anyone proposing a change
Problem
Getting a decision made often requires a document: here's the problem, here are the options, here's what I recommend and why. Writing one that's genuinely clear—fair to each option, explicit about tradeoffs, easy for a busy decision-maker to act on—is real work, and a weak version stalls the decision or invites endless back-and-forth.
Solution
AI helps structure a persuasive, balanced decision proposal. From your problem and options, it drafts a document that lays out the context, weighs each option's tradeoffs fairly, and frames a clear recommendation with reasoning. You supply the judgment about what to recommend; AI ensures the case is well-organized, the tradeoffs are explicit, and the ask is unambiguous—so the decision actually gets made.
Workflow Steps
- 1
Define the decision that needs making and who needs to make it.
- 2
Lay out the options you're considering and what you currently favor.
- 3
Ask AI to draft a decision document: context, options with tradeoffs, recommendation.
- 4
Make sure each option is represented fairly—a proposal that strawmans alternatives loses trust.
- 5
Sharpen the recommendation and the specific ask so the decision-maker knows exactly what to approve.
- 6
Circulate, and keep the reasoning so the decision can be revisited later if needed.
Recommended Tools
Example Prompt
Help me write a decision proposal that will actually drive a decision. The decision to be made: [what needs deciding, and by whom] The options I'm considering: """ [LIST THE OPTIONS] """ What I currently lean toward and why: [your view] Draft a decision document with: 1. Context / the problem this decision addresses 2. Each option, with its pros, cons, and key tradeoffs presented fairly 3. A clear recommendation with the reasoning behind it 4. The specific ask (what you need the decision-maker to approve) 5. Risks or open questions Represent every option fairly, including the ones I'm not recommending. Keep it concise enough that a busy stakeholder will actually read it.