The Decision-Making Handbook
Management · Nº 27
The Decision-Making Handbook
Decide with Clear Criteria, Not on Impulse
That big decision you've been sitting on for months? The market is making it for you.
24 tools, a spreadsheet that does the math, and one owner's stalled decision followed from the first question to the final review, so you choose with criteria instead of hope.
You get 24 tools to sort decisions by type, put numbers on the uncertainty, compare options with written criteria, hear your team out, and learn from the outcome. Plus 13 templates and an 8-tab spreadsheet, filled in with the example.
A book explains the method. This handbook puts it to work: the tool, a worked example, and a spreadsheet with your numbers.
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
There's one decision that's been parked for months: open another location, hire, buy the building, cut a product line. Every time it comes up, the answer is "maybe next quarter." Meanwhile you're making a dozen small calls a day on instinct, in the hallway, and a few of them come back to bite you. When you finally do decide the big one, it'll be a yes or no, on best-case numbers, with nobody in the room willing to tell you it's a bad idea.
THE SPREADSHEET
Decision spreadsheet
Use the completed example as a reference and enter your business data in the marked fields. Check the instructions and the calculations before you make a decision.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Three situations this handbook solves
Monday morning, the pile on your desk
You open the Decision list tab and sort everything waiting on you into one-way and two-way. The two-way calls go to the people closest to them with a two-day deadline. The one that can't be undone gets a date.
A big order with a big discount request
A customer wants a discount and long payment terms, and has paid late before. Before you say yes, you run the 10/10/10 rule. In 10 minutes, it's the biggest sale of the month. In 10 months, it's cash tied up and a thin margin. In 10 years, are you a bank for your customers?
Someone on your team wants to spend big
New sales are up and they want a second truck. The energy is high. Before you talk, you run the proposal through the ten-question checklist. If it leans on one good month, it goes back to be redone on a three-month average.
INSIDE
What you'll find in each tool
Five parts, in the order a real decision moves. Figure out what kind of decision it is. Put numbers on what you don't know. Choose between options with criteria written before the scores. Check for bias and bring in the people who disagree. Then decide on time and learn from the outcome. Every tool has a step by step, a worked example, and a short exercise.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything included in your purchase
- The Decision-Making Handbook in PDF: 24 tools, each with a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise
- The Decision spreadsheet in Excel and Google Sheets, with 8 tabs, from the decision list to the forecast scorecard, filled in with the example
- The Template kit: 13 ready-made templates, including the decision question, a devil's advocate script, kill criteria, and a decision record
- 2 worksheets to fill in (one-page decision and decision journal) and a 30-day plan, one week per stage
- Access to your handbook on the Consylion platform
Full table of contents
The 24 tools, in the order you'll use them
Part 1 · Part 1 · What kind of decision is this
- 01One-way or two-way doorSeparate the call you can undo from the one you can't, and give each the time it deserves
- 02The decision questionRewrite the problem as a question with a goal, a number, a deadline, and limits
- 03More than two optionsGet past yes or no with at least four paths on the table, including doing nothing
- 04The cost of waitingPut a number on what every month without a decision is costing you
Part 2 · Part 2 · Numbers under uncertainty
- 05What you need to knowThe three unknowns that would change your choice, and how to answer them in two weeks
- 06The outside viewCheck how similar cases turned out before you fall in love with your own
- 07Expected valueCompare uncertain paths with three scenarios and a probability for each
- 08The loss you can affordHow much you can lose on a bet without putting the business at risk
Part 3 · Part 3 · Choosing between options
- 09Weighted pros and consFranklin's two-column list, with a weight from 1 to 5 on every reason
- 10Decision matrixMust-haves, weights, and scores, written down before anyone picks a favorite
- 11Opportunity costWhat else the same money and time could do for you
- 12The 10/10/10 ruleHow the choice looks in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years
- 13A small test before the big betA cheap test that answers the question before the big money goes in
Part 4 · Part 4 · Biases and other voices
- 14The big-decision checklistTen questions that catch bias before it gets expensive
- 15Sunk costStop letting money you already spent pick your next move
- 16Independent opinionsEveryone scores in writing before the discussion, so the loudest voice doesn't win
- 17Devil's advocateGive someone the job of attacking the idea before the market does
- 18Disagree and commitArgue it out first, then carry it out together
Part 5 · Part 5 · Deciding in time and learning from it
- 19A deadline to decideSet a date and decide with most of the facts, not all of them, when a call keeps stalling
- 20Kill criteriaThe signal to stop, written down before you start
- 21Decision journalWhat you knew, what you expected, and why, in one line
- 22Bad decision or bad luckJudge the quality of the choice apart from the outcome you got
- 23Forecast scorecardFind out how often your "I'm sure" actually turns out right
- 24Simple rules for repeat decisionsDecide once, write the rule down, and let the team apply it instead of asking you
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You've been putting off one big decision for months and don't know where to start
- You make the small calls alone, on impulse, and regret more of them than you'd like
- You want to compare options with numbers, even when nothing about the future is certain
- You want to hear your team out without handing over the final call
- You decide alone and need a process that catches your own blind spots
It's not for you if
- You need to write a strategy and an annual plan. For that, see The Strategy and Planning Handbook
- You want to set who decides what on your team, with approval limits. That's The Business Management Handbook
- You need an in-depth financial analysis of an investment. Start with The Cash Flow and Profit Handbook
- You want a method that makes you right every time. This gives you a process and a record, not a crystal ball
Frequently asked questions
I decide alone. I don't have a partner. Does this work for me?
Yes. The tools that involve a team work just as well with your accountant, a trusted supplier, or a colleague in another line of business. If you decide alone, you need the checklist and the journal even more, because nobody else is there to point out your blind spots.
I don't have time to run every decision through 24 tools.
You won't. Most decisions are two-way and get made in minutes, or turn into a simple rule. The full process is for the handful of decisions each year that you can't take back.
Experienced owners go with their gut. Why change that?
Gut works where there's repetition and quick feedback, like pricing at the counter. On a big, rare decision, it hasn't had any practice. The handbook keeps your gut as one score in the matrix, and the forecast scorecard shows you how often it's right.
Where do I get probabilities if I don't have data?
From similar cases: suppliers, accountants, trade associations, people who've done it. You adjust a little for your own situation and check over time. A rough probability in writing beats none, and the spreadsheet does the expected value math.
Does this work for my kind of business?
If you're the one making the calls that change the business, yes. The example is a building supply store, but every tool shows how it applies to services, retail, manufacturing and distribution, and independent professionals.
How much time does this take?
About 2 hours and 24 minutes of reading, or 6 minutes per tool, plus the exercises. The 30-day plan takes one real decision from your list to your journal: understand it, put numbers on it, choose and test, then decide and record.
What do I get, and in what formats?
Each handbook is a PDF of about 100 pages with 24 to 27 tools. Every tool has step-by-step instructions and a worked example. You also get the handbook's spreadsheet in Excel (.xlsx), which opens in Google Sheets too, with the example already filled in. The message, policy, and clause templates are in the Template Kit inside the PDF, ready to copy and adapt. Read it in the member area or download the files.
How do I know if it fits my business?
Each handbook's page shows the problem it solves, who it is for and who it is not for, the full table of contents, sample pages, and the company used in the examples. The examples come from small businesses in several industries, with illustrative numbers. If it is not a fit, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, as described in the Refund Policy.
What is the difference between a handbook, an area set, and the Series?
A handbook solves one problem. An area set brings together every handbook and spreadsheet in one of the 6 areas, for less than the price of 5 single handbooks. The Consylion Handbook Series brings together all 100 handbooks and 100 spreadsheets, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks, and includes the next handbooks in the Series. Products outside the Series, from Consylion Life or Consylion Business, have their own price. They are sold separately and are not part of an area set or the Series.
Do I need to read everything before I start?
No. Each tool works on its own. Open the table of contents, pick the tool for today's problem, and start there. You can also read it cover to cover.
Do I need to know Excel?
The basics are enough: open the file and fill in the marked fields. The formulas are already built, and the handbook's example is filled in for reference.
How do I pay, and when do I get access?
By card or bank transfer, as a one-time payment with no subscription. Once your payment is confirmed, you get access to the member area by email. Approved card payments are confirmed right away. Bank transfers are confirmed when the funds clear. If access does not arrive within 24 hours of confirmation, check your spam folder and write to team@consylion.org.
How long do I have access, and how can I use the files?
Access does not expire, and you can download the files for offline use. The license is individual. You may read the handbooks, print them for your own use, and fill in and adapt the spreadsheet and templates with your company's data. If you are a consultant, accountant, or manager, you may apply the tools with your clients and deliver the result of your work, not the files. You may not share, resell, or distribute the files or the access.
How do support and refunds work?
Support is by email at team@consylion.org, on business days, with a reply within 5 business days. It covers questions about access, files, and payment. It does not include consulting or advice on applying the material to your case. You can cancel within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason, and get the full amount back through the payment method you used. Send the request to the same email. The details are in the Refund Policy.
CONSYLION HANDBOOK SERIES
The 6 departments of your business, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks.
This handbook solves today's problem. The Series solves the next one, and the one after that, with nothing more to pay.
- 100 handbooks with 2,403 ready-made tools, to read on screen and download as PDFs
- 100 spreadsheets for Excel and Google Sheets
- 6 business areas
- Lifetime access, unlocked once payment is confirmed
One-time payment of $197.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Management · Nº 27
Give the decision you keep putting off a date
Write down the decision you've been sitting on and carry it through the book. By the last page it will have options, numbers, a deadline, and a record you can learn from. Nobody controls luck. You can control how you decide.
See all 100 handbooks · $197.00
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.