Write a Decision Memo for Leadership
Write a crisp one-page decision memo with options, recommendation, and next steps.
This prompt produces a one-page decision memo in the format leadership teams and boards actually expect: context, options weighed side by side, a clear recommendation, risks, and a dated next step. It's for when you need to force a decision rather than reopen a debate — the structure removes wishy-washiness by requiring you to name a recommended option and a deadline. The separate CONTEXT block lets you load real constraints (budget, timeline, politics) so the recommendation is grounded, not generic.
You are a management consultant. Write a decision memo for [AUDIENCE: e.g. leadership team / board] on the question: '[DECISION TO BE MADE]'. Structure: (1) Context — why this decision matters now, (2) Option A vs. Option B vs. Option C with pros and cons, (3) Recommended option with clear rationale, (4) Risks and mitigations, (5) Next steps and decision deadline. Keep it to one page (≈ 400 words). CONTEXT: [BACKGROUND AND CONSTRAINTS]
What you can expect back
DECISION MEMO To: Executive Leadership Team Re: How to deliver the analytics feature 1. Context A key enterprise customer has requested analytics by December. We have a $200k cap this year, one engineer free in Q3, and no in-house data-viz expertise. Inaction risks the renewal. 2. Options A. Build in-house - Full control and no recurring fees, but our team lacks viz experience and one engineer likely can't ship by December. B. Buy a vendor (embed) - Fast to integrate, meets the deadline, but ~$60k/year recurring and less customization. C. Defer to next year - Zero cost now, but jeopardizes the renewal and signals deprioritization to the customer. 3. Recommendation Option B. It is the only path that reliably hits the December deadline within budget, and it preserves the at-risk renewal. We can revisit in-house once we hire data expertise. 4. Risks and Mitigations - Vendor lock-in -> negotiate a 12-month term with an exit clause. - Recurring cost -> tie renewal to feature usage; reassess at 6 months. 5. Next Steps - Shortlist two vendors by June 20. - Decision required from this team by June 27 to allow Q3 integration.
Illustrative example — your results will vary by tool and inputs.
Get sharper results
- 01Load the CONTEXT block with the uncomfortable facts (political resistance, a sunk cost, a hard deadline) — the recommendation is only as honest as the constraints you give it.
- 02If you already lean toward an option, withhold that and ask the model to argue all three neutrally first, so you stress-test your bias instead of getting an echo.
- 03Ask it to 'make the recommendation falsifiable' — name the one fact that, if untrue, would flip the call — which is what sharp boards probe for.
- 04Request a one-line TL;DR at the very top; many executives decide from the first sentence and read the rest only if they disagree.
- 05Have it quantify the pros and cons wherever your context allows (dollars, weeks, percentages) so the comparison isn't a wall of adjectives.
Adapt it for your case
Tell it there are just two real choices and to drop Option C, giving each remaining option a deeper cost/benefit treatment.
Ask for the one-page memo plus a short appendix holding the supporting data, so the main page stays scannable for busy readers.
Add 'classify this as a reversible or irreversible decision and adjust how much certainty the recommendation requires' for higher-stakes calls.
Common questions
What if I don't have three clean options?
Tell the model how many real options exist; forcing a third weak option just to fill the template makes the memo worse. Two well-argued options beat three padded ones.
How do I keep it to one page?
The ~400-word target enforces this. If it runs long, ask it to move detail into an appendix and keep only the decision-relevant points on the page.
Can it recommend the option I disagree with?
Yes, and that's useful — if it lands on a different option than your instinct, ask it to name the assumption driving the difference. That surfaces what you actually disagree about.
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