RapidKnowHow: SOLVING CHALLENGING PROBLEMS FAST

Using Minto’s Pyramid + Decision Trees + Strategic Choice

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🧠 STEP 1: Frame the Problem Clearly (Top of Pyramid)

Use Barbara Minto’s Pyramid Principle to clarify your thinking from top-down:

Key Questions:

• What is the key issue?
• What is the recommended solution?
• What are the 3 supporting reasons?

Format Example:

KeyIssue: Sales have declined by 30% in Q2.  
Recommendation: Reposition product for high-value B2B clients.  
Support:
1. B2C segment is saturated and price-sensitive.  
2. B2B leads show 2x higher conversion.  
3. Gross margin improves by 20% in B2B.

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🌲 STEP 2: Build a Decision Tree (Bottom-Up Logic)

Decompose your issue into strategic options using a Decision Tree.

Approach:

1. Break the problem into mutually exclusive branches.
2. Make each branch collectively exhaustive.
3. Add data and outcomes where available.

Example (Root: Revenue Growth):

          Revenue Growth?
          /           |           \
     Raise Prices   Enter B2B   Cut Costs
        /    \           |           |
   +10%   -10%    $2M opp.   Short-term gain

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⚖️ STEP 3: Assess Decision Paths (Quantitative + Qualitative)

Combine strategic intuition with analytical tools.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Strategic Fit (0–10)
• Speed of Execution (0–10)
• Financial Impact (€, ROCE)
• Risk Level (Low/Med/High)
• Resource Requirement (Low/High)

Build a scorecard to compare alternatives side-by-side.

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🏁 STEP 4: Choose the Most Effective Path Forward

Use a Rapid Strategic Assessment Grid:

Option	Strategic Fit	Speed	ROCE	Risk	Score
Raise Prices	6	9	12%	Low	27
Enter B2B	9	7	25%	Med	33
Cut Costs	4	8	8%	High	20

✅ Decision: Enter B2B – High Fit, Best ROCE, Acceptable Risk

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📌 RapidKnowHow Formula:

Top-Down Clarity (Minto) +
Bottom-Up Structure (Decision Tree) +
Data-Driven Evaluation =
Fast & Smart Decision

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