Introducing Decision Design
The Science of Better Decisions.
Decision Design combines executive judgement, optimisation science and analytics to bring scientific rigour to strategic decision-making.
The framework
The Decision Design Framework
Three Questions. Three Disciplines. Better Decisions.
Every strategic decision can be broken down into three questions. Decision Design answers those questions through three complementary disciplines.
Start
Business Question
“We need to cut costs.”
Step 01 · Executive Judgement
Discover
Many strategic questions lose sight of the underlying objective. Discovery uncovers what the organisation is actually trying to optimise for, the choices available and the constraints that cannot be compromised.
Step 02 · Optimisation Science
Formalise
Formalisation transforms leadership's thinking into an optimisation problem. Once objectives, choices and constraints are defined, optimisation provides the mathematical structure needed to compare alternatives, allocate resources or identify the strongest course of action.
Step 03 · Analytics
Measure
Analytics provides the evidence behind the framework. It estimates uncertain quantities, validates assumptions and challenges whether objectives, choices and constraints are actually supported by data.
Outcome
Scientifically Designed Decisions
Decisions that are measurable, testable and can evolve with rigour.
Decision Design in Action
Applying Decision Design
Case studies and articles exploring hiring, product strategy, policy-making and everyday life
Why Your Hiring Process Rejects Your Best Candidates
How hidden constraints quietly eliminate the people most likely to succeed.
Beauty Is a Resource Allocation Problem
How to allocate your time, money and treatments for the greatest improvement.
The Loyalty Discount
Why customer patience is one of the most valuable—and most wasted—resources in business.
Designing Product Launches Around Cultural Trends
When should trends become decision variables instead of lucky timing?
Building Cities That Outlive Elections
What happens when the objective lasts 30 years, but the decision-maker only has four?
About
The Hyphen Lab is a research group advancing Decision Design.
Our mission is to establish Decision Design as the scientific discipline for designing better strategic decisions. We publish essays, case studies and research exploring better decision-making.
Let's talk about an interesting decision you think Decision Design can be applied to.
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