Issue Tree - �Guidance and Template

Capability Building

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 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License - �you may use and share this file, but please attribute it to thepsc.co.uk

 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License - �you may use and share this file, but please attribute it to thepsc.co.uk

Issue Tree

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Template

 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License - �you may use and share this file, but please attribute it to thepsc.co.uk

How to use an Issue Tree (from our FEP & PSAT programmes)

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What is this tool?

An issue tree breaks the question (from the PDS) down into manageable chunks. This creates clear, separate workstreams and gives you confidence that you’ve looked at the full extent of the problem.

Tips for structuring the issues

• Ensure the questions at each level (a vertical cut) are independent and complete (aka ‘MECE’ (Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive). This prevents workstreams from becoming tangled or important analyses being missed
• You’ve reached the right level of disaggregation when the questions are specific enough to assign as workstreams. Remember, the tree doesn’t have to be perfect – just good enough to lead to a workplan. Also, don’t go beyond ~4 levels of the tree – you want workstreams, not detail
• Use existing frameworks where appropriate – e.g., for financial profit, the first level might be ‘revenues’ and ‘costs’
• Aim to capture existing preconceptions/myths so they can be discussed
• Focus on content, not process – “What data is available?” and “How should we evaluate options?” are not valid questions for solving the problem. “By how much can productivity be improved?” is

When to use this tool?�Keep iterating the tree throughout the project as you develop the answer – the first draft will help unlock the key questions and lead to hypotheses, which in turn will allow the next iteration of the issue tree to get to the heart of the problem.

Find more tools, templates and videos at:

thepsc.co.uk/capability-building/

 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License - �you may use and share this file, but please attribute it to thepsc.co.uk