THINKING FRAMEWORKS

Use a framework, clarify your thinking.

Start with your question. Find a suitable framework and see how to use it.

Choose by work stage

Start at a relevant stage and choose a suitable framework. The order helps you find your place; it is not a required sequence.

1. Define a problem

1-1 Identify the problem

Compare the current situation with the desired state and identify the gap.

Possible result: A problem statement and evidence of the gap

1-2 Organize the problem

Separate the issues and turn a broad concern into a question you can investigate.

Possible result: A structured question and investigation scope

1-3 Set priorities

Decide which issue needs attention first under your constraints.

Possible result: Priorities and the reasons for them

2. Understand the market and customers

2-1 Assess the environment and your business

Examine external conditions alongside your business's resources and capabilities.

Possible result: Relevant conditions, capabilities, and evidence gaps

2-2 Understand customers

Examine customer groups, needs, and experiences using available evidence.

Possible result: Customer insights and questions to check

2-3 Understand competitors

Compare competitors' offerings, activities, and capabilities.

Possible result: A comparison and possible areas of difference

3. Develop and compare ideas

3-1 Generate ideas

Explore several possible responses before judging them.

Possible result: A set of candidate ideas

3-2 Develop an idea

Turn an abstract idea into a proposal people can discuss.

Possible result: A more specific proposal and its assumptions

3-3 Compare and choose ideas

Compare candidates against explicit constraints and criteria.

Possible result: A choice, tradeoffs, and unresolved checks

4. Set a strategy and a plan

4-1 Choose a strategic direction

Consider business, market, customer, and positioning choices.

Possible result: Candidate directions and the reasons to explore them

4-2 Work out how to proceed

Examine what your direction requires and what may prevent it.

Possible result: A possible approach, dependencies, and checks

4-3 Set goals

Describe the intended result and how you will check progress.

Possible result: Goals and measures for reviewing them

5. Review and improve work

5-1 Review results

Compare what happened with what you intended and identify lessons.

Possible result: Observations, lessons, and next questions

5-2 Map how the work operates

Make activities, responsibilities, and constraints visible.

Possible result: A shared picture of the current work

5-3 Explore improvements

Consider changes to the work and what each would require.

Possible result: Improvement candidates and validation plans

6. Manage a team and work together

6-1 Align on goals

Make the team's direction and each person's contribution clear.

Possible result: Shared goals and responsibilities

6-2 Improve working relationships

Examine communication and cooperation using specific observations.

Possible result: Issues to discuss and ways to work together

6-3 Support motivation

Explore work conditions and goals without assuming what motivates each person.

Possible result: Questions, support options, and follow-up actions

7. Structure and share information

7-1 Communicate information

Organize the information so others can understand the point and its basis.

Possible result: A structured explanation or proposal

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Framework summary by scenario
Framework	Purpose	What to bring	What you will have	Limits and cautions
1-1-1As-Is / To-Be	Compare the current and desired states using consistent measures, then separate the observed gap from possible causes and solutions.	An observed current state, its evidence and measurement rules, and a desired state with a rationale and time horizon. Mark provisional targets explicitly.	A bounded gap statement and a next investigation or test. A proposed action remains separate from evidence that it will close the gap.	A target is not a forecast or a commitment. Different populations or observation windows may make a comparison invalid. The gap alone does not explain why it exists.
1-1-26W2H	Answer eight planning questions to align the purpose, audience, execution, timing, place, and resource limits of an activity.	An activity brief, known arrangements, resource limits, and unanswered questions. Bring the people responsible for operations and delivery into the review.	A compact activity brief with eight explicit dimensions, remaining checks, and a next action. Missing information stays visible.	The worksheet organizes a plan; it does not confirm demand, attendance, authorization, or feasibility. A budget cap is not actual spending, and an attendance target is not a result. The eight boxes do not represent a sequence or score.
1-2-1Logic tree	Break a broad question into explicit branches so you can examine its parts and decide what to investigate next.	One clear question, a basis for dividing it into branches, and evidence or open questions for each branch.	A structured investigation with defined branches, visible gaps, and specific checks for the next level of detail.	The shape of a tree does not establish causation or completeness. Check for overlap, missing branches, and changes in the question being answered.
1-3-1Urgency–importance matrix	Sort tasks by importance to a stated goal and urgency of their timing, then agree immediate work, scheduled work, delegation, and reductions.	A task list, relevant goals, deadlines and consequences, available time, and the people who could help. Include important preventive work that has no immediate deadline.	A four-quadrant task discussion with time reserved for important work, confirmed handoffs, and proposed reductions to review.	Classification depends on the goal and role, and can change. A task that is less important to a manager may still matter to someone else. Delegation needs capacity and agreement; the matrix does not authorize canceling obligations. Box area is not workload or time.
1-3-2Decision matrix	Compare eligible options against shared criteria and make the effects of your weights and ratings visible.	Hard constraints, at least two eligible options, weighted criteria, complete ratings, and the evidence behind them.	Calculated weighted scores alongside the original inputs, assumptions, and trade-offs.	Scores reflect the inputs; they do not prove an option is best. Screen out options that fail hard constraints and test whether small input changes alter close results.
2-2-3Persona	Organize a user role, goals, working context, difficulties, and decision criteria while keeping research evidence separate from assumptions.	Interview and observation notes, the task being studied, and the limits of the sample. Identify which statements come from evidence and which need further checks.	A task-focused representative profile with supporting evidence, explicit assumptions, and a design question to test.	A persona is a synthesized profile, not a real individual or a measurement of the whole market. A fictional teaching example is not real user research. Shared goals among a few interviewees do not establish market size, willingness to pay, or universal behavior.
2-2-4Empathy map	Organize what one person sees, hears, thinks and feels, says and does, struggles with and hopes for, keeping records distinct from assumptions.	One defined person and task, numbered interview quotes and observation records, the scope of those records, and assumptions still to investigate.	A six-part empathy map with evidence types and specific questions for the next interview or observation.	Behavior does not reveal a person's thoughts automatically. Label quotes, observations, self-reports and team interpretations separately. One person's records do not establish a pattern across all customers, and a self-report is not observed behavior. Leave unsupported areas unknown rather than filling every space.
2-2-5Customer journey map	Trace one customer's task through touchpoints, actions and experiences, keeping evidence and unobserved stages visible.	One customer and task, start and end boundaries, touchpoint and action records in time order, the person's statements, and missing stages or assumptions.	An evidence-linked journey with unknown stages, friction and handoff questions, and proposed ownership and improvement checks.	A journey need not be linear or end in a purchase. Separate observed current experience from a proposed future experience; do not invent conversion to complete the final stage. Label feelings as self-reported or assumed. One person's path is not a group rate, and improvement opportunities still need testing.
2-3-14Ps marketing mix	Review product, price, place, and promotion together to make a coherent offer and identify what to test next.	A specific offer and audience, product details, price and units, purchase and delivery arrangements, and current communications. Bring relevant customer and operational evidence.	A four-part offer review, the mismatches to address, and a test of the proposed changes with explicit measures.	This is the product, price, place, and promotion marketing mix. The four boxes are categories, not a ranked matrix, numeric axes, or a required process sequence. A coherent mix does not prove demand, value, margin, or a causal effect on sales.
2-3-24Ps with offering and target analysis	Compare six explicit dimensions: target, value offered, product, price, place and promotion, retaining each claim's evidence status.	Comparable objects, selection rules, dated product and marketing records, price definitions, audience claims and customer evidence.	A six-dimension comparison, distinctions between products and benefits, and questions for positioning research.	A benefit is not a repeated feature list. Stated targets are not observed customer shares; promised value is not verified value. Listed prices do not establish transaction prices, profits or value for money. Preserve package and channel differences and unknowns; do not select a winner automatically.
2-3-3Value chain analysis	Disaggregate a business into linked primary and support activities, then check cost boundaries and possible sources of customer value.	A business and period, activity records, value clues, compatible cost records, allocation rules and handoffs.	An activity-and-link map, a bounded cost reconciliation and hypotheses for further investigation.	A value chain is not a supplier list, organization chart or fixed workflow. Separate support and count costs once. Disclose allocation assumptions and exclusions. High cost does not establish value; deleting work does not guarantee improvement. A selected revenue-minus-cost remainder is not net profit, and undisclosed rival costs stay unknown.
3-2-2Storyboard	Describe a user’s actions, thoughts, and feedback across key moments to reveal gaps in a proposed experience.	A user, a situation, a goal, and the important moments in the experience.	A sequence of text frames and questions for an experience test.	A coherent story does not establish usability or technical feasibility. Include failures and recovery where they matter; simple text or sketches are enough to explore the sequence.
3-3-1Pros and cons list	Compare the benefits and drawbacks of possible actions against a shared goal.	Possible actions, a common goal, constraints, and evidence for the expected benefits and drawbacks.	A side-by-side comparison with an explicit reason for choosing an action or collecting more evidence.	Counting items does not show which option is best. Consider importance, likelihood, and irreversible costs; do not treat suggested mitigations as proven solutions.
3-3-3Value-feasibility Matrix	Compare value hypotheses and implementation conditions on separate axes, retaining unknowns and hard-limit failures.	Comparable candidates, value criteria, budget/capacity/permission records and each judgment's evidence gaps.	A two-axis comparison, explicit unknowns and a proposed test with conditions for a separate decision.	This value-feasibility matrix is not a game-theory payoff table. It supplies no total score, return rate or success probability. High value may be hypothetical; unknowns are not zeros. Resolve hard constraints first, and do not treat a high/high position as approval.
4-1-1BCG growth-share matrix	Classify businesses by market growth and relative market share, then examine resource choices and uncertainty.	Business units or products, market growth estimates, relative market share, thresholds, and resource constraints.	A portfolio view with provisional categories and questions about investment, maintenance, or exit.	A quadrant is not an automatic investment or closure decision. Market growth is different from your own sales growth. The thresholds in this example are teaching assumptions, and no market measurements support its placements.
4-1-2Ansoff matrix	Separate growth options by existing or new products and markets, then examine their demand and capability assumptions.	Current product and market boundaries, a baseline date, options, demand evidence and capability or resource constraints.	Four types of option with classification reasons and explicit evidence needs.	A channel change is not necessarily a new market, nor a small feature change a new product. Quadrants are not risk probabilities, a fixed difficulty ranking or an investment recommendation. Existing combinations can fail. Keep empty or unclassified options rather than inventing plans; an option is not approval or achieved growth.
4-1-3TOWS matrix	Combine evidenced SWOT factors into SO, ST, WO, and WT action candidates, then state their assumptions, resource limits, and validation steps.	A shared goal and identified SWOT factors, ideally with IDs and sources. Keep unverified demand, competitive conditions, and resource estimates visible.	Traceable action candidates with a reason to consider them, assumptions to check, and conditions for continuing or stopping.	The four combinations are not a ranking and do not require four simultaneous initiatives. Unsupported combinations can stay blank. TOWS does not calculate priorities or establish that an action will work.
4-1-4STP analysis	Segment customers by meaningful differences, choose a priority group, and describe a position to test against their needs and alternatives.	Customer needs and behavior, evidence about potential groups, delivery capabilities, and known alternatives. Include the limits of reach, costs, and market-size evidence.	A segmentation basis, a priority target with reasons and tradeoffs, and a positioning hypothesis to check with that group.	Segments are working distinctions, not automatically fixed or mutually exclusive company categories. Positioning concerns the intended place in customers' minds relative to alternatives. A positioning sentence does not establish differentiation, demand, or favorable economics.
4-1-5Perceptual positioning map	Display relative positions on two defined dimensions, retaining data nature, sample size, calculation rules and unplaced objects.	Objects, respondent scope, dimensions, raw ratings or attributes, scales, calculations, missingness and data status.	A labeled map, traceable coordinates, unplaced objects and questions for perception or demand research.	Perceptions are not objective attributes; listed price is not perceived value. Keep populations, periods and scales compatible. Do not place unknowns at zero or the center. Empty space is not demand, and a mean does not describe everyone. This figure plots supplied 1–5 coordinates under an explicit teaching interval assumption; it does not run correspondence analysis, statistical inference or ideal-position selection.
4-2-1Business Model Canvas	Connect customers, value, delivery and economics across nine blocks, then identify the assumptions that need evidence.	What is known about the customers, offer, channels, relationships, payments, resources, activities, partners and costs. Identify assumptions and missing evidence.	An editable nine-block draft and a short list of assumptions to investigate before expanding the business.	A complete canvas is not proof of demand or profitability. It does not replace a business plan, financial model or customer research. Revenue is money earned from customers; gross margin is a separate measure after product costs.
4-2-2Business Model Flow Diagram	Show who provides goods, services, information and money to whom, with explicit directions, assumptions and agreement gaps.	Business scope, parties and roles, typed exchanges, agreement status, and money units and periods.	A readable party-and-exchange map, an edge list, money assumptions and responsibility or contract checks.	This is a business model flow diagram, not software deployment, a capability hierarchy or an org chart. Edges are exchanges, not a process sequence. Separate information from goods and money. A balanced arithmetic example proves neither transactions nor profit; a pilot permission does not approve a paid business model.
4-2-3AIDMA model	Review Attention, Interest, Desire, Memory, and Action to identify missing information and obstacles before purchase.	A target audience, purchase goal, communication touchpoints, and observations with clear event definitions.	Communication gaps, proposed changes, and a plan to observe the purchase journey.	Page views, saves, and reservations may refer to different people and repeated events. Do not calculate a continuous conversion funnel without a consistent population and observation window.
4-2-4Gantt chart	Place dated tasks and owners on a timeline, then examine the calendar, dependencies and available person-hours.	Task IDs, inclusive start and finish dates, a working calendar, predecessors, owners, effort and capacity assumptions, and actual progress records if available.	A task timeline with dependency and resource checks, plus the tasks and assumptions affected by a delay.	Workdays, elapsed calendar days and person-hours are different units. Parallel work needs both dependency and capacity support. This diagram displays entered dates; it does not infer progress, critical paths, resource leveling or completion probability. Check missing or invalid dates instead of filling them with defaults.
4-2-5Organizational chart	Show roles and relationships with an explicit line meaning, keeping project coordination, personnel reporting and decision rights distinct.	The organization or project scope, roles, supported duties, reporting and coordination relationships, staffing status and uncertain authority.	A role chart with defined lines, an authority and interface note, unconfirmed relationships and a review plan.	Position is neither a measure of ability nor a grant of budget or approval rights. Separate proposed lines, actual reporting and personnel management. Retain cross-functional relationships rather than forcing them into a tree. Confirm R/A/C/I for individual deliverables separately.
4-3-1Roadmap	Work back from an outcome to stage outputs, enabling resources and explicit decisions, keeping tentative windows distinct from commitments.	The current state, a justified outcome, stage outputs, broad windows, resource constraints, dependencies and actual commitment status.	A staged route with outputs, windows, capabilities, entry and exit checks, and review points.	A roadmap is not approved funding, a detailed schedule or a delivery guarantee. Distinguish tentative windows, options, commitments and achieved outputs. Gates need actual checks; a proposed pilot is not an observed improvement. Capacity is not inferred from a timeline.
4-3-2KPI tree	Connect an outcome to compatible counts and rates, specify the arithmetic, and keep targets and causal hypotheses separate.	An outcome definition, traceable counts from a compatible cohort, units, observation window, data source and a proposed target.	A metric tree with explicit arithmetic, a reproducible baseline, target assumptions and a next data check.	Decomposition is not causation. Numerators, denominators and outcome maturity must agree. Do not calculate through overlapping groups, unmatched periods or a zero denominator. Keep targets, leading indicators and measured effects distinct. The diagram illustrates a two-level product identity; other decompositions need their own operations.
4-3-3AARRR	Review acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, and referral with explicit events, cohorts, observation windows, and denominators.	Counts or observations for a defined cohort, the events behind each measure, the relevant time windows, and known gaps in the data.	A shared record of five diagnostic areas and the evidence needed for the next investigation or experiment.	A lower count does not identify a cause. Revenue and referral can occur independently. Compare rates only when cohort membership, event definitions, and observation windows support the denominator; do not infer a conversion rate from adjacent cards.
4-3-4SMART goals	Turn an ambiguous goal into a specific outcome with a measure, a feasibility check, a purpose, and a deadline.	A proposed outcome, its population and scope, the current baseline, a measurement definition, available resources, and delivery and review dates.	An editable five-part goal worksheet that keeps the baseline, target, feasibility assumptions, and review timing visible.	A well-written goal is not evidence that it is feasible or achieved. Check resource assumptions and measure actual results separately. Completing all five sections is not a pass score; keep uncertain assumptions explicit.
5-1-3PDCA Review Sheet	Connect a plan, recorded execution, a comparable check and a conditional next action in one review sheet.	Cycle scope, comparable baseline, hypothesis, target and quality guardrail, execution records, denominators and exceptions.	An evidence-based P/D/C/A review, remaining explanations and a conditional next-cycle plan.	Separate plan, execution, interpretation and next action. Keep counts, percentage points and relative changes distinct. A before/after sample does not establish causation; a speed target does not override failed quality. This working sheet is not a certification checklist. Proposed standardization needs a decision; PDCA and PDSA terminology remains distinct.
6-1-1Mission, vision, and values	Clarify why an organization exists, the future it aims for, and the behaviors that guide difficult choices.	The organization’s purpose, desired direction, customer concerns, and decisions that expose conflicting priorities.	Distinct statements of mission, vision, and values, with behaviors to discuss and test.	A slogan does not ensure alignment or consistent service. The statements need practical examples, discussion, and review; proposed commitments must be achievable.
6-3-3GROW model	Clarify a goal, examine the current reality, explore options, and let the person choose an action and a way to follow up.	The person’s desired outcome, current evidence and constraints, available support, and possible actions.	A goal, a view of the current situation, several options, and a next action chosen by the person, with timing and follow-up.	Ask open questions rather than decide on the person’s behalf. Will is also described as Way forward. A suggested action is not a commitment unless the person confirms it, and a commitment does not mean the action is completed.
7-1-1Product proposal	Connect a user problem and evidence to a bounded solution, expected value, a validation plan, resource estimates, and the decision required.	User-task evidence, intended users and scenarios, current alternatives, a proposed solution, resource estimates, and known risks. Identify missing acceptance criteria, ownership, and authority.	A reviewable product proposal that separates expected value from evidence, states exclusions, and identifies validation and approval conditions.	This is BizThinkFrame's proposal structure, not a standard approval template. Interview interest is not a purchase or permission to build. Estimated work is not an approved schedule, and a pilot plan is not a validated result. User, payer, and decision-maker roles may differ.
7-1-2Event Proposal	Explain an event’s purpose, audience and experience, then make schedule, resources, budget and approval conditions reviewable.	Audience evidence, purpose and proposed targets, date/site/capacity conditions, experience, staffing, cost assumptions, risks and decision authority.	A reviewable event concept with schedule, budget basis, responsibilities, acceptance measures and approval gaps.	Keep targets, signups, attendance and completed tasks separate. Capacity is not an attendance forecast, and interest is not a sale. Estimates and reserve are not actual spend or approval. Confirm site, people and participant conditions before delivery. The proposal proves neither demand, causal improvement nor return; it is not a product specification or a complete safety procedure.

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