Product and Process Design D

Guidelines on making an issue tree

Issue tree

▪ What is an issue tree?

▪ An issue tree, also called logic tree, is a graphical
breakdown of a question that dissects it into its different
components vertically and that progresses into details.
▪ An issue tree is a structured approach to solve a
PARTICULAR problem.

Manageable
Problem
segments
2
Why are issue trees a useful problem-
solving tool?

▪ Issue trees help to break down a key overall issue down into its
smaller, component parts

Sub-question

Basic
question to
be resolved

Sub-question

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Steps of making an issue tree

Questions Purpose Breakdown Analyze

Identify the Decide if you Break the Make a plan which

primary are identifying questions into sub- sets out what
question or hypothetical questions until evidence you need
initial barriers or each can be and how you will
hypothesis you solutions answered by a analyse it to
want to answer specific piece of answer your
analysis (yes/no) questions

Qualitative/
Hypotheses
Issue tree quantitative
generation
plan

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Roles for making an issue tree
Rule 1: Pick the right ‘basic question to be resolved’
Rule 1
If you pick a question that
Pick the right ‘basic question to
be resolved’ does not capture the
problem that you are
actually trying to solve then
you will be left barking up
the wrong (issue) tree.
Rule 2
When you are disaggregating a
question into sub-questions,
➢ Invest time in getting
make sure your issues tree is the primary question
MECE
right

Rule 3
Make sure your sub-questions
are simpler and easier to attack
as you move from left to right
across the issues tree
➢ Discuss it with
stakeholders
➢ Use that primary
question as the ‘basic
question to be resolved’
on your issues tree

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Rule 2: Make sure your issue tree is MECE

Your sub-questions
Rule 1
are said to be
Pick the right ‘basic question to
be resolved’ Mutually Exclusive if
there is no overlap
between what they cover:

M utually
Rule 2
When you are disaggregating a
question into sub-questions, E xclusive
make sure your issues tree is
MECE
C ollectively

E xhaustive ✓ These 3 X But these 3

sub-questions sub-questions
Rule 3
do not overlap, do overlap
Make sure your sub-questions
are simpler and easier to attack so the issue (cover the
as you move from left to right tree is same ground),
across the issues tree
Mutually so the issue
Exclusive tree is not
Mutually
Exclusive 6
Rule 3: Keep your sub-questions simple
and easy to attack
Rule 1
Pick the right ‘basic question to
be resolved’
Rule 2
When you are disaggregating a
question into sub-questions,
make sure your issues tree is
MECE
Rule 3
Make sure your sub-questions
are simpler and easier to attack
as you move from left to right
across the issues tree
The whole point of the
issue tree is to
disaggregate a complex
question into manageable
chunks, so make sure that
your sub- questions
become progressively
simpler.
Ideally, the questions at
the end of each branch of
the issue tree should be
simple yes/no questions,
which can be answered
through a short piece of
analysis.
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SWOT analysis will always help

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Test your issues trees with stakeholders to
make sure you’ve got it right